Board to Ward – October 2025
There has been some change at UHP over the last month – we’ve welcomed new colleagues and said goodbye to others at board level, more patients are attending our new Urgent Treatment Centre on-site in the Dartmoor Building, and we’ve been recognised nationally for some advancements to patient care. Here’s a summary of highlights from this month’s October Board meeting:
Staff Story: Inside the Dartmoor Urgent Treatment Centre
The Dartmoor Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) has now been open for just over two months. The first patient entered the building on 3 September, and we were delighted to welcome Fred Thomas MP who officially opened the building, along with UHP colleagues, Sally Fletcher, Linda Fulford, Roly Cawaing and Helen Anderson. To mark the achievement of the opening of this important service, this month’s staff story came from two of the advanced nurse practitioners who work in the unit, Vivien and Kerrie. They shared their journey moving from the minors unit in the Emergency Department (ED) to staffing the new space at Dartmoor.
They explained how the transition from ED to the new UTC has given them more space to see patients faster, providing swifter access to care. This is underpinned by the unit achieving 99% performance against the national four-hour target. Both Vivien and Kerrie explained how one recent day, the team saw 130 patients, which they credited to a build of awareness among the local population of the unit’s opening for people with minor illnesses and injuries. The unit is seeing a wide cohort of patients, and the focus moving forward will be ensuring everyone is seen in the right place, first time. The Dartmoor Unit mirrors the successful Cumberland UTC model, with strong triage and streaming processes in place. Despite challenges around patient mix and demand, the team described a positive, collaborative working environment and a clear sense of pride in what they’ve built.
“We’re seeing patients quicker, the processes run smoothly, and it feels like a great place to work. When we opened the doors on the first day, it felt as though we had done this before such is the procedures and systems we have in place in our other units.”
It was also noted that a campaign is being developed to help the public understand where to go for the right care, and in this instance ensuring patients know that for minor injuries or illnesses, the UTC at Dartmoor (and at the Cumberland Centre) are the best places to choose for care.
The Dartmoor building, which houses the new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), has since become home to the Fracture Clinic, and will soon be home to other key services such as Main Outpatients and Pre-operative assessment.
Recognising achievements
Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Emergency Care Building
At the start of October, five of our Emergency Department volunteers were the guests of honours at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Emergency Care Building. Their spades marked the start of the construction of the new £247 million building at the front of the hospital, which is not hard to miss at the moment if you visit the hospital site – we currently have a huge crane in situ!
Southwest Liver Unit
We are delighted to share that the Southwest Liver Unit has successfully received renewed accreditation from Improving Quality in Liver Services (IQILS). The IQILS team commended the Unit for maintaining a high standard of achievement and recognised the hard work demonstrated throughout the accreditation process. The unit provides services to approximately 2 million people across the local and wider population of the Southwest peninsula. Our team of specialists deliver hepatology, hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation services and currently assesses patients for liver transplantation from the region.
Innovative new technology for vascular disease
Also this October, we were the first Trust in the UK to treat patients using an innovative new technology for vascular disease. This advancement is a real step forward in providing better care for patients who have peripheral vascular disease (PVD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD). While the story did receive strong media interest, the real impact lies in the benefits for our patients and the dedication of our clinical teams who made this possible. A heartfelt thank you to all staff involved in delivering this pioneering treatment and supporting its successful implementation. Paul Jenkins, consultant in Interventional Radiology, was interviewed by the BBC about our success. Read the BBC article: Vascular care technology used in UK first - NHS
Welcome’s and goodbye’s
We were also sharing some welcomes and goodbyes. We have been delighted to welcome Jon Scott, our new Chief Operating Officer, who has joined us with focus on operational performance. It was also the first Board meeting for Neil, our new Chief Executive, who shared his reflections on joining the Trust:
“This is a very welcoming organisation to join. Everyone is universally friendly and committed to doing a great job for patients and for their colleagues. There’s a real local feel here and the organisation is representative of the community it serves. I am thankful for such a warm welcome.”
During October, we also said goodbye to Jo Beer, who is leaving UHP to take up a Chief Executive role at Sirona Healthcare, after years of outstanding service to the Trust. There was also appreciation for Mark Hackett, who departs as Interim Chief Executive. Our Chair, James Brent, also paid tribute to Mark for his leadership and dedication during his time at UHP.
We hope you have found this month’s Board to Ward beneficial. As a reminder, each month our Board leaders meet in public, at the Derriford Centre for Health and Wellbeing. Here’s a few links if you are interested:
