NHS Alliance’s Trust Visit: “A huge privilege to be here today”

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust recently had the pleasure of hosting representatives from NHS Alliance, the independent membership body that represents and supports the health and care system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. NHS Alliance Chief Executive Sir Ciarán Devane and Director Matthew Hopkins, visited the Humber Suite at Hull Royal Infirmary’s (HRI) Emergency Department and attended a showcase of Trust services at Trust HQ.

Throughout their visit, the representatives expressed how impressed they were with the level of professionalism and passion that was clear from every staff member they spoke with and every team they met.

The Humber Suite within HRI Emergency Department is an innovation in mental health support within an acute setting. Patients presenting with mental health needs, once assessed for any acute health needs, can be streamed to the calm space of the Suite for further assessment. The dedication of the team who made this happen has meant this service can exist at the heart of where they are needed.

Sir Ciarán Devane reflected on the power of this innovation, “Its impact is clear – the number of people in a mental health crisis who were leaving without getting an assessment went from a baseline of 20 per cent before the assessment team was in place to 0.44 per cent for those who are brought into the service.”

The Trust then hosted a marketplace event in the Lecture Theatre which showcased a variety of services and initiatives. Sir Ciarán Devane and Matthew Hopkins, along with their team, took the time to speak to all the staff present and learn about the incredible innovations being implemented across the Trust.

Sir Ciaran shared, “the level and complexity and variety of outreach was truly impressive to see - unified by one thing, which was the commitment to the patient and the commitment to a great service backed up by really good understanding of their own performance and their own data”.

Earlier this year, the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers merged to form NHS Alliance to give the health sector a unified voice to influence national policy and support strategic improvements.