Covid, Strep A, flu and winter pressures combine to make it a tough year for Northumbria Healthcare Trust

Alistair Blair, the executive medical director of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said normal winter pressures had combined with the likes of Strep A and Covid to make life extremely difficult for staff.

Dr Blair was introducing the trust’s annual quality report to members of Northumberland County Council’s health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee.

He said: “December and January this year was probably one of the hardest times the NHS has had to deal with. Strep A decimated paediatrics and primacy care, with an enormous volume of children, some quite unwell.

“Covid is not the disease it was but there’s lots of legislative framework that make things difficult – you still have to isolate patients which is a logistical problem.

“People were often unwell with flu and Covid. We also saw increasing numbers attending urgent and emergency care.”

However, there was some good news. Just days after it was revealed that overall trust in the NHS had fallen under 40% – a record low – Northumbria’s most recent survey put patient satisfaction with the trust at around 79%.

Dr Blair also outlined the trust’s seven key priorities for improvement over the next 12 months, which were decided in collaboration with business units, governors and other stakeholders.

They are:

• Improving flow – reducing ambulance handover delays;
• Medication errors – timeliness of critical medications (Parkinson’s Disease (PD);
• Improving cancer pathway standards;
• Deteriorating patient – Community NEWS (C-NEWS);
• Improving delirium – assessment and management;
• Involving people in the development and improvement of Trust; services;
• Developing a collaborative approach to improving staff experience.

Also addressed were upcoming junior doctor strikes. Dr Blair said an “enormous amount” of planning had been done to make sure services were maintained.