Publish date: 2 January 2024
Looking back at Northumbria in the news in 2023
2023 may have been a tough year for the NHS, but that didn’t mean there weren’t positive stories and we had plenty to tell at Northumbria Healthcare.
The year started well with the publication of the results of the 2022 CQC Maternity Survey in January, which revealed that Northumbria was one of seven outliers nationally due to the positive responses from women who had experienced our care.
February saw the start of our exciting trial to use drones to transport blood samples and chemotherapy drugs between three of our hospitals, sparking headlines and broadcast coverage locally and nationally.
In March, there was more national coverage as our surgical business unit director Eliot Sykes spoke to the BBC’s Hugh Pym about how the trust was working during a period of industrial action. Meanwhile, consultant Sean Woodcock appeared on a BBC 3 documentary about the dangers of travelling abroad for weight loss surgery.
Come April, the publication of the PLACE report based on patients’ experiences of food and facilities in the NHS hit the headlines. Fortunately, there was positive news in the Northumbria results, as reported by the Hexham Courant.
May brought a slightly different one as Yang, the cat who visits Hexham General Hospital, providing comfort to patients and staff, was awarded the Freedom to Roam of his hometown. This story ended up going international with coverage in Forbes.
In June, our drones were back, flying onto television screens with a starring role on BBC’s The One Show. Back on the ground, there was local news coverage as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington.
There was another local celebration in July, as we marked the 20th anniversary of Hexham General Hospital – and the national one for the NHS’ 75th birthday. Our senior pharmacist Wasim Baqir was one of the winners of the national photography competition for his striking image of Covid-19 vaccine vials.
August was a slightly quieter month, but there was still local coverage as a crane lifted the modules into place for the temporary inpatient ward at Berwick Infirmary. This was just one occasion during the year when the exciting new hospital development was in the news.
There was more positive news for our maternity service in September when it retained its good ratings in a glowing inspection report from the CQC.
Two of our more innovative clinics were highlighted in October – a one-stop clinic to support drug and alcohol users with their respiratory health was launched in Northumberland while a new clinic to support families with ‘rainbow babies’ was announced on North Tyneside.
In November, it was time for one more celebration – the 25th birthday of Northumbria Healthcare itself. One of the stories we shared was about one of our staff nurses whose two children were both born at North Tyneside General Hospital, the eldest in 1998, the year the trust was formed. All three now work for Northumbria!
Come December and the drones were back again; the Financial Times led the way as we announced a partnership with US firm Zipline for the next phase of our drone delivery trials.
We couldn’t resist sharing some festive news as well – like this one about blankets or this one about a maternity Christmas party!
This is just a small selection of the news stories we shared during 2023. Visit our news stories section to read the rest and keep up to date with what’s going on at Northumbria Healthcare.