There may be delays in answering calls the the main switchboard at Basildon Hospital - read more
There may be delays in answering calls the the main switchboard at Basildon Hospital - read more
The event is organised annually to share updates and information about the Trust's performance. Members, patients, staff and the local community are all welcome to attend.
The agenda is delivered by the Trust's executive team with special presentations from guest speakers and an update from the Governors. Guests can submit questions in advance.
You can view historical slide packs and our annual reports on our publications and reports page.
Please email mse.members@nhs.net if you are interested in becoming a member and attending this event in the future.
This year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Marketplace took place on Thursday 26 September at Broomfield Hospital's Medical Academic Unit (MAU).
The meeting included exciting showcase presentations from the Research team who explained the role of a Research Nurse and our Ophthalmology team talked through the improvements made thanks to our new Diagnostic Hubs. We also heard updates on our Outpatients Transformation Programme and Nova, our unified electronic patient record.
1. What actions will the Trust take to improve its accountability to patients and public?
Enhanced Public and Patient Involvement (PPI)
Patient-Centred Care Improvements
Collaboration with External Oversight Bodies
2. What improvements have been made for those with long term conditions/chronic illnesses across your services over the last year?
We know how important it is to make best use of our outpatient capacity for people with long term conditions:
In neurology we are excited to have appointed a new nurse co-ordinator for motor neurone disease across our MSE hospitals. Her work will span primary and secondary care and link in with our local hospices and charity/support organisations. She starts next week and is funded through Challenging MND.
In Southend we have established a joint anaesthetic / geriatric clinic which won the national HSJ patient safety award 2023) for making major cancer surgery safer for frail patients and those with significant chronic conditions.
In rheumatology we have launched a fracture liaison service across all three sites, which will reduce the risk of repeated fractures and preserve patients independence and mobility for longer.
We have started specialised clinic for ‘women of childbearing age suffering from Autoimmune/arthritic disorders’ at Basildon, open to all three sites
For patients with newly diagnosed inflammatory arthritis we now see 70% within three weeks whereas previously it was 30%
In cardiology we provide a wider range of specialist clinics which means that patients do not need to travel into London - for example patient with inherited cardiac conditions. We also offer a wider range of specialised treatments eg injectable drugs for high cholesterol and keyhole surgery.
There have been many exciting developments in stroke services including access to advanced imaging and the use of artificial intelligence to improve the speed of decision making as faster treatment improves outcomes. We are working with the community to redesign stroke rehabilitation and we are the first trust in the UK to pilot an ambulatory stroke pathway enabling patients to avoid hospital admission.
3. How can members of the public thank MSE staff and how public thanks can be part of the reward package?
Members of the public have several ways to express their gratitude to MSE staff. The primary platform for public thanks is the Friends and Family surveys, which collect feedback from patients and their families. Monthly reports, including positive feedback from these surveys, are provided to all areas of the organisation. Additionally, patients can leave compliments on the Trust’s website and Care Opinion platform, which the for employees? How registered “thanks” can be collectively fed into MSE’s determination on how departments perform so that MSE management would not have to rely on national comparisons to decide on local departmental performance. Patient Experience Team shares with the relevant teams or individual staff members. Other expressions of thanks, such as thank-you cards and letters, are also given directly to staff, particularly on the wards. Staff are encouraged to share these compliments with their line managers during appraisals and check-ins, ensuring that their efforts are recognised.
We are in the process of improving how compliments and thanks are collected and shared across the Trust. This data can be included in the overall quality measures for each department, allowing MSE to assess performance based on local feedback rather than solely relying on national comparisons. By integrating positive feedback into departmental evaluations, we can create a more accurate and holistic picture of the care provided. This approach not only acknowledges the hard work of our staff but also highlights areas of excellence.
The public can and do nominate staff for the annual Shine Awards. This is a powerful and meaningful feedback with the winners receiving a prize and their stories being featured in the media. The staff newsletter also features a “thank you” message from a member of the public to staff every week.
4. What is the trust doing to improve the performance in Cancer Care? Are there any plans for the Broomfield Hospital cancer patients to have a dedicated inpatient cancer ward.
We are aware that there are no specialised in-patient beds for patients with cancer at Broomfield and this is highlighted in oncology future planning. A cancer strategy for the Trust will be produced for 2025 and this will address the direction of the hub and spoke organisation of oncology inpatient and cancer clinic capacity across the Trust. Palliative care services and beds are present on each Trust site. The dedicated cancer ward at the Southend site is the hub.
To improve cancer performance, the plan is to deliver the 77 % faster diagnostic standard this year and improve 62-day compliance to 70% by March 2025. There are plans to see improvement in the skin pathway now the community tele-dermatology service is in place; improvements in colorectal cancer as a result of the rapid diagnostic service, and the expansion in endoscopy activity. These interventions will improve performance. The Trust also planning the right capacity for oncology which is a key risk to improve waiting times in oncology for the 31-day standard and this will link to the cancer strategy. Other tumour sites are expected to deliver their plan and planning will ensure the right capacity is in place for each speciality.
5. With regards to the A&E at Basildon, what is being done to make the processes before you are seen by a doctor more efficient, has anyone looked at the patient journey from the start to finish at A&E.
There is an urgent care improvement programme for each hospital led by the Managing Director. The biggest driver of improved waiting time in ED and the total time a patient is in ED is the flow through to beds in the hospital for patients requiring admission. For Basildon this has been a challenge in matching discharge with bed capacity which can led to congestion in ED. Interventions are in hand with regard to better use of community facilities and more direct input of community nurses on to the wards to increase discharge. Length of stay has improved at Basildon and the 4-hour standard is holding at 72 %. Capacity will need to be agreed with the ICB for this winter to reduce risk on flow and admission pressure consistent with the financial plan.
The non-admitted pathway is also regularly reviewed and 85 % of patients are now triaged within 15 minutes of arrival with an average time of 8 minutes. This ensures a patient is directed to the right service for treatment – including same day emergency care services outside of ED. Much still needs to be done with system partners to get more patients seen within the 4 hours – a challenge is the high attendance from walk in patients particularly on a Monday following the weekend. The ICB is looking for more community interventions – for the care of regular attenders for example. The improvement plan will look to all best practice , such as GIRFT for example, on the admitted and non-admitted pathway.
The 2023 Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday 13 September at Basildon Hospital's Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.
Before the meeting, guests were invited to the AGM Markteplace where teams from across the Trust showcased their achievements. We were joined by the Anchor Programme, Simulation Suite, Dementia, Tissue Viability, Falls, Hospital@Home and many more.
Nigel Beverley, our Trust Chair, facilitated the AGM which included a keynote presentation from Dr Sanjiv Ahluwalia, Head of School of Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University.
Held in the world-renowned CTC building, the meeting also included showcase presentations from the Inherited Cardiac Conditions service and our Anchor Programme team.
How does the Trust plan to continuously improve patient experience through patient and carer feedback?
Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust are committed to being an organisation that actively listens to our feedback and use it to drive continuous improvement across all our services.
The Trust maintains a high level of engagement with our patients and communities in a variety of ways. We also gain feedback via our PALS and Complaints Services, and the Friends and Family Test results. Co-production with our communities is an integral part of the Trust Quality Strategy and enables us to engage as early as possible in particularly when developing new services.
The Patient and Care Experience Strategy was co-produced with our patients, carers, staff, professional partners and voluntary services. The ongoing progress and compliance is overseen by our various patient and carer engagement committees. This ensures we continue to receive real time feedback and oversight.
Priorities
How has the Trust responded to the Autumn 2022 inspection report? How can patients be confident they will be treated appropriately?
Significant improvements have been made within our maternity services and diagnostic imaging services over the last year.
When will you be giving a public update on your CQC action plans as the CQC?
The update on the status of our CQC improvement plan will be presented at the next Board meeting once we have received publication of the latest report.
The Annual General Meeting 2022 took place on Tuesday 20 September 2022 at Southend Hospital's Education Centre.
Guests were invited to attend a marketplace event ahead of the formal meeting. Guests were able to visit stalls and find out about some of the services at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
During the AGM, guests heard from Nigel Beverley, Trust Chair, Hannah Coffey, Acting Chief Executive at the time, and Sally Holland, Lead Governor, about the performance of the Trust over the past year.
Guests also heard from Professor Tony Young OBE, National Clinical Lead for Innovation at NHS England, Consultant Urological Surgeon and Associate Medical Director at MSEFT and Director of Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Anglia Ruskin University, who gave an engaging and informative presentation on transforming patient care through innovation.