Hospital services in Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury 'better than eight years ago'

Patient services at Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury Hospitals are much improved from eight years ago, NHS bosses have said.
Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.
Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

It follows the implementation of bold changes made to frontline healthcare in a bid to save cash and keep up with increasing patient demand since 2011.

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs all three sites, have focused more specialist treatment at Pinderfields in recent times, meaning longer journeys for some patients from both east and west of Wakefield.

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However, health bosses said the upshot has been a rise in standards, during a discussion about the measures at a health scrutiny meeting on Friday.

Dewsbury HospitalDewsbury Hospital
Dewsbury Hospital

While the trust still has a deficit of around £18m, this is lower than what it was before these plans were put in place.

Simultaneously, other NHS trusts elsewhere in the country have lost money.

Jo Webster, chief operating officer Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Overall, hospital services in Wakefield and across our footprint are better than they were eight years ago.

"I can say that confidently and we have evidence of that.

A radical rejigging of services across Kirklees and the Wakefield district has been praised as a success.A radical rejigging of services across Kirklees and the Wakefield district has been praised as a success.
A radical rejigging of services across Kirklees and the Wakefield district has been praised as a success.
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"I don’t sit here and say they’re the best in the world and I’m not saying everyone who comes through the hospital gets a great experience and a great outcome.

"But if you think about where we were eight years ago compared to now, some of the outcomes have improved and we have actually delivered more in some areas than we anticipated.

"I think the financial position is better. It’s still difficult but it’s not as big a deficit as we had eight years ago."

The trust's chief executive Martin Barkley, said efforts to improve staff morale within the organisation were improving.

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He said a recent survey had shown the number of employees who'd recommend the trust to family or friends as a good place to work had jumped from 48 per cent to 61 per cent.

He added: "There's still a long way to go on that, and it's below the national average but we are slowly moving in the right direction.

"What's been achieved has made services much more sustainable. There’s real evidence of improvement, quality of outcomes and reduced mortality rates.

"The CQC said that Dewsbury Hospital was unrecognisable from beforehand, in a good way I hasten to add. It’s been terrific."

Local Democracy Reporting Service