10.03.15
Troubled Medway buddies with leading trust
A small team from Guy’s and St Thomas’ will work with the troubled Medway NHS Foundation Trust to strengthen its clinical leadership and support changes to improve patient care.
Monitor has approved an extension of its buddy system, in the hope that the new relationship will support Medway’s refreshed executive team deliver its 18-month recovery plan.
Medway was originally buddied with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust in September 2013 when it was first placed in ‘special measures’ after Sir Bruce Keogh identified it as one of the trusts with high mortality rates.
Last year, the trust then buddied with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) on a three-month improvement project, which focused on the structure and governance of the organisation.
In February 2015, the Care Quality Commission published its latest report on Medway, which rated the trust as ‘inadequate’ following an unannounced inspection in December, despite some improvements.
The trust has appointed Lesley Dwyer as its new chief executive, who will lead the new executive team to deliver Medway’s long-term recovery plan.
Dwyer joins from the West Moreton Hospital & Health Service in Queensland, Australia, where she served as CEO and led the turnaround of a poorly performing health service into one of the highest performing.
Phillip Barnes, acting chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We now have the majority of the new permanent executive in place and this is the right time for us to take the next step in our improvement and seek out assistance, advice and best practice from top performing hospitals to help us deliver the huge changes we need to make.
“This collaboration forms part of the new executive’s plan to stabilise the hospital and involves a small team of highly experienced senior doctors, nurses and managers from Guy’s and St Thomas’ working alongside them.
Paul Street, regional director at Monitor, added that the new leadership team at Medway has been working hard to transform the hospital, and by joining efforts with experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’ they will be able to provide patients with the quality of care they expect.
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