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Northumbria Healthcare delivering for the public despite pressures

The latest figures have painted a positive picture for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, despite the backdrop of ongoing pressure across the health and care system.

This strong performance was attributed to the ongoing efforts and commitment of staff at the trust, which runs hospitals and community services in Northumberland and North Tyneside, as its board met in public on Thursday, March 30.

The meeting heard that a review of the patient perspective surveys from 2022 had revealed that 96% of inpatients and 99% of outpatients would rate their experience as good, very good or excellent, alongside good performance across the year for A&E experience.

Members also discussed the National NHS Staff Survey, whose results were published earlier this month. Based on the highest response rate in the country, Northumbria was ranked the second trust of its type nationally for its overall score.

It had the highest scores in its category for four of the nine main themes, including morale and ‘We are compassionate and inclusive’, while very narrowly missing out on two others.

Sir James Mackey, Northumbria Healthcare’s chief executive, said: “It is reassuring that our performance continues to be strong compared to the rest of the NHS nationally and that this is reflected in our patients’ experiences of our care.

“However, we are not at all complacent about this and we on this board are all aware that we are not yet where we want to be. We know that there is more we can do to improve in order to ensure all our patients always get the very highest quality of care from us.”

Reflecting on the staff survey results, he added: “We have always recognised our people as our biggest asset and I would like to thank all of our staff for their continued efforts and hard work to provide the best possible care to our communities, especially over the last three years which have been very challenging.”

Meanwhile, the results of the trust’s latest public perception research were also shared at the meeting, with overall satisfaction among people in Northumberland and North Tyneside increasing by 7% on the previous year to 79%.

Sir Alan Richardson, the board’s chairman, said: “We exist to serve our communities so their views and their experiences when they come into contact with our services are absolutely crucial.

“We know that public satisfaction with the NHS nationally is not high at the moment, so to see a significant increase in the level of support from our communities is a big deal. My thanks continue to go out to all our staff in these tough times.”

You can find out more information about the trust's board meetings held in public, including agendas and papers, here.