Dear colleague,

This summer our teams have been focused on getting our younger patients treated as quickly as possible.

The TonKidz project, originally developed to tackle waiting lists following the pandemic, was re-instated to tackle the growth we’ve see in our in our children’s waiting list, with nearly 800 waiting for tonsil and ENT operations. 

In just three months teams treated a phenomenal 648 young patients, a number that would usually take two years.

From the end of May to August they carried out operations on Thursday and Fridays in the day surgery unit at Queen’s, transforming it into a more child-friendly space with decorations and a play area each time.

Thanks to their hard work we’ve now got that waiting list down to around 100 children, most of whom will be treated within two months.
We’ve had excellent feedback from families and it’s a great example of our teams working together to treat patients sooner. 

Well done to all involved.

Preparing for our electronic patient record

With less than 50 days to go before we introduce our new electronic patient record (EPR) on Saturday 8 November, teams are working hard to make sure we have everything in place for a successful launch. 

This week we’ve been focusing on our ‘full dress rehearsal’ where we rehearse the various processes and tasks colleagues undertake everyday on the new system so any teething issues can be resolved in advance. 

Our EPR will bring a patient’s full medical notes, from medications and allergies to latest test results and treatment plans, together into one secure digital record, instead of the notes being held on paper or across different computer systems.

It will mean clinicians across our hospitals, and across Barts Health hospitals, will have immediate access to all the information they need to make the best treatment decisions for our patients.

As many other trusts have found, the transition is likely to have a short term, adverse impact on our performance as our staff adjust to new ways of working and some delays are likely as thy get used to the new system. The benefits however will be considerable, for them and for our patients.

Reducing blood test waits for patients

And finally, we're now offering same day blood tests to patients coming in for outpatient appointments.

Previously, patients who were referred for a blood test during their appointment had to return on another day to get this done, often waiting up to a week due to high demand.

To do this, we've shortened blood test appointments from ten to five minutes and we’ve added electronic kiosks for patients to book into their appointments, meaning we're able to see more patients as a result.

A big well done to everyone involved in helping to achieve this.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer
Chief Executive