Our AGM 2024 - So much to be proud of
Our AGM was a great opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed, acknowledge the challenges that we have faced and celebrate the achievements and improvements which we often don’t get the chance to do, working day to day.
We are grateful as ever to our colleagues from other organisations who were able to join us, to celebrate and acknowledge with us, and who provided their support throughout the year. Thank you @livewell-southwest, @KateShields, @MandySeymour and Launceston and Tamar Vally PCN.
Chairman James Brent opened the AGM, saying: “It is humbling to come in to this caring compassionate environment and see the work of colleagues and our volunteers. Thank you also to our primary care colleagues at Livewell, Devon ICB, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly trusts and South West Ambulance Service.
“Given the context that the NHS is in, it’s really easy to focus on the “what aren’t we doing right” but it’s extraordinary what colleagues and service lines have done to improve the care they are able to provide to their patients. Incredible improvements have been made in the last 12 months and we are focussed on the further areas we know we need to improve.”
About the money
Following James, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Brampton , presented the audited accounts for 2023-2024 which are also available in our full annual report. This year we also have a summary version of the annual report.
“What we have experienced over the past few years is a road to recovery. Despite our underlying deficit position we did manage to make savings and also had the largest investment in capital expenditure ever at the Trust.”
Working with primary care
Dr Jonathan Cope and Laura Langsford then stepped up to the podium to explain how UHP is working with local primary care networks (PCNs) to use local population data to better understand local health needs, which in turn enables us to provide better care for our population. Likening healthcare to the Olympics Jonathan explained healthcare is very much a team sport of which PCNs are a crucial part of the journey for patients.
Laura drew on the 10 principles from our Clinical Strategy highlighting the theme of integration, and then introduced a video from a PCN colleague. Dr Magill explained: “It’s been really uplifting and hopeful. The benefit of looking at patient interactions with the Trust from both sides of the journey has produced some stories that really stick in my mind. We can really streamline care and develop our integrated care models. Delivering care closer to home really matters.”
Stroke lead Craig, and his colleague Alice, talked about the improvements made in stroke care and the difference this is making for patients. Presenting what a good stroke journey looks like for our patients, Craig outlined how meeting the patient at the door on arrival at the hospital, taking them straight to the scan and ensuring treatment commences in the quickest possible timeframe improves outcomes for patients. There are areas of improvement, for example increasing the number of thrombectomy and developing the service to 24/7 which will further enhance the service for patients. The team have set themselves some challenging targets to improve the pathway, all supported by the specialist nurses, acute ward staff and doctors who work so hard to support this improving pathway for stroke patients. 
Sharing patient stories from Martin and Keith, Craig really brought home the importance of the changes in terms of the difference this makes to people, getting patients to the best care setting and supporting them back to their lives at home.
Improving care for people with cancer
Consultant Richard Williams and cancer nurse specialist Steph Murgatroyd came along to explain how triaging and a one-stop shop clinic for head and neck cancer patients has improved care for this patient group. They take care of the patients from point of GP referral to discharge from the service.
They shared Jason’s story, a patient who underwent treatment for a mouth related cancer in January 2023. Jason explained how the network of care around him at UHP helped both he and his wife as his journey developed. "The care and the speed was very impressive. In as much as it was a harrowing experience it was as positive experience as it could possibly be, across radiotherapy as well. I could not have been treated by a better team than the Derriford ENT Team."
Consultant Richard said: “Cancer targets are good surrogates for good treatment. We undertook a thorough service review where we learned from our mistakes, engaged with members of the multi-disciplinary team and spoke with other cancer centres. Over 10 years the number of referrals to the service has nearly doubled but the number of cancers has stayed relatively stable. We were struggling to meet those needs. Looking at what other centres were doing we realised we were one of the few not running a one-stop service. UHP have been great at adapting to support the one-stop approach, from imaging to MDT all have been implemented changes which in turn has made significant changes for patients. The service continues to assess and evolve to meet the needs of our patients.”
Listening to the voice of patients
We are delighted to have an active and involved Patient Council and Eileen came alone to talk about the role of the patient council and how they have helped improve patient experience over the past 12 months. Eileen has been a volunteer for 10 years, a member of the Patient Council for the past 6. Eileen gave an overview of the breadth of involvement our Patient Council have, touching so many areas of the Trust. They are a small but mighty team who provide invaluable support.
Over 12,000 cups of tea have been served by our volunteers in our busy emergency department, a small but significant gesture to many of our patients in the department. The volunteers explained how their tea-rounds are more than just serving tea and coffee as they dish up compassion and a listening ear to patients.
The Council have very clear goals over the next 12 months including: involvement in the new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, setting up a youth patient council and continuing to be advocates for carers and people with learning disabilities.
Hearing the moving stories of 2 of our ‘orange army’
We were moved to hear from two of our volunteers Warren and Lisa about the difference they make. Warren is a volunteer on Fal ward and shared his personal story about how he came to be a volunteer and how rewarded and appreciated he feels, as well as how humbling it is to be able to lift and cheer patients, and not just patients but also the families who are on the journey with them.
Lisa was the first volunteer to provide support at Mount Gould Hospital, sharing the story that led her to volunteering: “It’s amazing, it’s been life changing for me. Being given the opportunity to rebuild my life and support patients on the ward. I talk to the patients, I can offer empathy to them and give them a lift. I couldn’t live without being a volunteer now.”
Looking to the Future
We moved to look to the future when senior nurses Shaen, Ali and Nicky stepped up to talk about the high quality of care being provided at the end of people’s lives. The team have brought a real focus to the end of life care provided at the Trust. Among their achievements over the past 12 months they have put specific focus on: education, learning and support and end of life care in three key physical locations – Derriford Hospital, the Emergency Department and Mount Gould Hospital.
Colleagues around the Trust have embraced the new education opportunities that have been made available and reported directly back to Nicky the difference it has made to their professional practice and care they deliver.
Shaen profusely thanked colleagues for their support: “I can’t thank you Mount Gould colleagues enough for embracing our service and the care we wish to provide to patients and their families.”
Ali shared a personal reflection that end of life care done well, is beautiful and told a moving patient story: “Finding out what is important to the patient and making that happen, wherever possible, is why I do my job. I have so many beautiful stories I could share, I feel so lucky to be able to make the difference to patients that I can.”
The team have an ambitious year ahead, working with partners such a Marie Curie to grow and develop the service in the best and most appropriate settings of care.
They were followed by Mandy Seymour from Livewell who outlined the strides being undertaken to develop virtual wards in the community for frail patients. The aspiration for the service is to create 125 community frailty beds in 6 localities across Plymouth and West Devon delivering a service led by a GP or geriatrician, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of pharmacists, physios, occupational therapists, community care workers and specialist nurses providing the right care in the right place first time.
Before providing an update on the building of our new Urgent Treatment Centre, Consultant Anne Hicks acknowledged the speakers who had presented before her.
“It feels like we’re coming to the end of "the greatest hits of UHP" today doesn’t it?” she said. “From turning up at work every day to Eileen's smiling face to meeting the increased needs of our patients, to our own experiences of care received as patients and family ourselves over the past year, there are so many great things we have heard about today. We are driven by the experience of care we ourselves we would like to receive, it's very inspirational and a privilege."
“And so, to our new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). It's an exciting time and we cannot wait to offer our patients the opportunity to make good choices about where they receive the care that they need. Minor injury, minor illness shouldn't be major, our target is to help and navigate our patients through the system to the best care and treatment and back to their lives as quickly as possible. The new UTC, alongside the one at the Cumberland Centre, will enable us to achieve this."
The UTC is just one way we are building for the future, you can read about more of our key projects here
Chairman James Brent brought the AGM to a close stating: "A really core thread that has run through today is the shared ambition to support people to live healthier lives and to continue to improve services to meet the needs of our patients. There are really big challenges ahead but we are on a journey, together. Thank you to everyone who came along and presented, it has been genuinely moving.”
