ACHIEVEMENTS in enhancing healthcare at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust’s (PAHT) were highlighted at this years’ Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday (28 September).

A great turnout of staff, patients and the public heard about successes including maternity services, elderly care, and infection prevention and control, and were presented with an insightful vision of the Trust’s future by the hospital’s Executive Team.

At the event, guests were able to talk to staff about developments and achievements in their departments. On the increasingly vital care of people with dementia, the hospital’s newly appointed Dementia Support Practitioner, David Page, outlined innovative measures in care of the elderly being implemented by Princess Alexandra Hospital.

For instance, the Trust has led on the formation of the Essex Dementia Leads Forum, 25 Dementia Champions have been trained across the Trust, and staff have been trained as Virtual Dementia Tour facilitators. Mr Page showed visitors how PAHT staff are trained to offer dementia patients the best care possible through the Virtual Dementia Tour, which highlights the fear and frustration felt by those affected.

Phil Morley, Chief Executive, paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of staff at the hospital, saying: “We see patients from Essex and Hertfordshire from all walks of life and our staff do a tremendous job in challenging times and I know from feedback from patients that the excellent service they give is greatly appreciated.”

Professor Nancy Fontaine, Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “I’m very proud to say that the Trust’s maternity services are the ninth best performing in the country. We get hundreds of compliments about our maternity service and with the recent Baby Friendly Award we can say we offer the best care for mother and baby throughout their stay with us.”
Other departments giving information included: Family and Women’s Health, Infection Prevention and Control, The Patient Panel, Organ Donation, Falls Prevention, and Training and Development. Guests heard that priorities for the coming year include Palliative and End of Life Care and Patient Experience.

Other topics included: the Trust’s financial position, key quality achievements and challenges, and the options available to the Trust and its future.

Marc Davis, Director of Pathways and Partnerships, summarised the approach PAH has to developing its services by saying: “We are entering a new era where there is less competition between services and more collaboration. We need to be more preventative and change how we deliver services. The whole health and social care system faces significant challenges and will only succeed by working more effectively together.”