'Pivotal moment': Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals out of special measures after eight years
Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals have been taken out of special measures - after nearly eight years.
The Shrewbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which manages both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, was placed in special measures in November 2018 over concerns about its performance.
That came after major issues including a September 2018 decision to close the A&E at PRH overnight.
SaTH has recently been involved in a specialist Recovery Support Programme (RSP) to assist improvements.
The trust said NHS England's decision to remove it from special measures comes after "demonstrating substantial and sustained improvement", representing "a significant milestone on its improvement journey".
It said the move follows a review by NHS England (NHSE), which recognised the trust has delivered significant, sustained and demonstrable improvements including in finance, performance and governance.
The RSP, working with NHSE, provides intensive support and oversight.
The move reflects improvements from SaTH in a number of areas over the past 18 months, which has seen it move up to 96 out of 134 in the national league tables.
It has also been the most improved trust nationally for elective recovery performance on the 18-week referral to treatment target, ranked second for the cancer 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard, and is making improvements on the 62-day cancer referral to treatment waiting times.
The trust said it had also delivered its strongest performance for five years for diagnostics, and had made "sustainable progress" in maternity and neonatal services - an area of major concern in recent years after the Ockenden review uncovered catastrophic failings over a number of years.
The trust said its work means it is "on track to exit the Maternity Safety Support Programme".
Other aspects are the trust's improved financial performance with the organisation on track to deliver a Cost Improvement Programme of £41 million, the highest to date, and making a substantial reduction in agency expenditure.
It added that it is on track to achieve a 50 per cent deficit reduction since 2023/24.
It has also secured University Trust status.
Despite the progress, SaTH chief executive Jo Williams said there was "much more to do" with plans in place for continued improvement, including delivery of the Hospitals Transformation Programme by 2028.
The transformation programme has been funded by £300m from the Government and is seeing a major reorganisation of the trust's services with RSH becoming the centre of emergency care and women and children's services, while PRH becomes the focus of planned care.
A major construction project has been underway at RSH for some time as part of the plans.
Mrs Williams said: “This is a significant milestone on our improvement journey, and I am incredibly proud of our staff for their hard work and dedication. They have and continue to put our patients at the heart of our work to transform care and improve health outcomes.
“This is not the end of our improvement journey. We know that we have much more still to do, particularly in urgent and emergency care, but we are making tangible progress and we are pleased this has been recognised by NHS England and partners. We will continue to listen, reflect and learn so we are always improving.”
Andrew Morgan, SaTH chair, said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to our staff for their commitment, and to our partners who have supported us to make this happen.
“This is a pivotal moment for the trust which has made great strides in the last 18 months to demonstrate consistent progress and stability, and I hope it gives our communities greater confidence that we are improving.
“We have more to do and we will not be complacent. We will move forward with purpose and commitment to sustain progress and deliver our strategic ambition of providing excellent care for our patients and be a great place to work for our staff.”
Simon Whitehouse, chief executive officer of the Integrated Care Board Cluster for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Exiting special measures is a significant milestone in the trust’s improvement journey and a testament to the substantial, sustained progress delivered by colleagues across the trust.
“My thanks to the trust board, staff, partners and our local communities for their commitment and support throughout this period. As Andrew and Jo have both stated, we will not be complacent: our focus now is to consolidate these gains, further improve access and quality, and deliver safe, compassionate care every day.
“This follows NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin exiting special measures last year and now means that no local NHS organisation is in the highest level of national oversight - a major step forward for our health system.”
Dr Jess Sokolov, regional medical director NHSE Midlands, said: “NHS England has closely supported the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over many years, and we are delighted that it has met this important milestone. The trust would not have been able to deliver such significant improvements without the vision of their new leadership as well as the perseverance, dedication and hard work of staff.
“Whilst there is more to do to continue their improvement journey, the trust has made clear progress, and we hope that all their employees are proud of the achievements they have made for local patients.”
Healthwatch Shropshire chief officer Lynn Cawley said: “This is great news for the people of Shropshire. The improvements made by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as they come out of special measures reflect the hard work and dedication of the staff across our main hospitals.
“It’s encouraging to see that feedback from patients and the public, including through Healthwatch Shropshire, has played an important role in driving these improvements. Long may the independent voice of local people remain at the heart of improvements to our NHS in Shropshire.”
Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin chief officer Jan Suckling said: “We welcome the news that the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has exited special measures. This milestone reflects the sustained efforts of staff and leadership to improve services for local people.
“It is particularly encouraging to see improvements in areas that matter most to patients, including waiting times, diagnostics, and cancer care. We also welcome the trust’s continued commitment to listening to patient feedback.
“We know there is more work to do, especially in urgent and emergency care, but this marks an important step forward. Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin will continue to represent the voices of local people to help ensure improvements are embedded and sustained for our communities.”
