Tuesday 22 December 2015

Northumbria Hospital at Cramlington is world class, 1st of its kind, 7 days a week + in Northumberland. A highlight to visit and meet the team

I am pictured below at Cramlington's new Emergency Care Hospital with Mike Reed, Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Tracy Young, the Matron, and Ray, one of the long term nurses on the ward. It was great to visit the new hospital and see it in operation. I found it very busy but working well. The staff love the place on so many levels, but most of all for better patient outcomes. I went round and met staff on all levels, but focused particularly on the arrivals process for patients to get a better understanding of patient pathways, improved treatments and how the hospital is changing medicine and outcomes.
I then spent time in the orthopaedic and coronary units meeting staff, nurses, doctors and patients.

There is no doubt that patients are dealt with very quickly on arrival, with reduced length of stays, which is better for patient recovery.  The diagnostic suite is fantastic, with almost immediate access, which is ensuring patients treatment is started soon after arriving in hospital.  In some cases - Stroke is a good example - clot busting drugs are being administered far sooner than before because diagnosis is quicker - which in turn is creating better outcomes for patients. 
The key point is the degree to which patients in Northumberland are benefitting by this improved service. It is a change. But having a super hospital, with 24 hour consultants, 7 days a week is game changing. I have no doubt in my mind. If I get ill again. I want to go there. Ask any local doctor, nurse, matron or paramedic they will say the same thing. It is world class, the first of its kind in the UK, and in Northumberland.

But don't listen to me - go to the website here: https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/emergency/
and see / watch and listen to what the doctors are saying about the place.