Prime Minister and health minister visit Trust – to find out about innovative patient flow model

This week the Trust hosted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, health and social care secretary Steve Barclay and NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard to explain more about the model of care set up to help reduce the time patients spend in hospital.

The visit to the University Hospital of North Tees included a tour of the integrated co-ordination centre and the urgent and emergency care service.

Catherine Monaghan, care group clinical director at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The visit was an opportunity to explain more about the model of care we have in place to speed up the flow of patients through our hospitals and offer more care in the community and in people’s own homes.

“This included a visit to the hospital’s integrated co-ordination centre and our use of the OPTICA system, which is helping us provide high quality care to our in-hospital patients and have them discharged from hospital as quickly as possible.

“The visit also included a visit to the urgent and emergency care department and speak more about the innovative work carried out to help make it one of the best performing in the country.

“Many other topics were also discussed, including our work to create hospital at home services – highly-specialised care in people’s own homes, where we know they want to be cared for.

“We look forward to working with the government and health partners to further develop these programmes and share good practice.”