Local NHS scores highly on health check

NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale has been identified as one of the better performing health trusts for Urgent and Emergency Care in the North West, according to the latest health check from governing body the Healthcare Commission.

The assessment is carried out annually by the Healthcare Commission, focussing on how all urgent and emergency care services are accessed by patients, how effective services are, how well services work together and how well they are managed and funded.

NHS HMR achieved an overall score of 3.14, which reflects that urgent and emergency care services in Rochdale are improving according to the in-depth study.

The Trust’s key strengths were services working together well, Accident and Emergency Services and providing out of hours medication.

Areas that need further work are out of hours appointment response times, patients being able to contact their GP surgery as easily as other areas, and the number of avoidable attendances at A&E.

Ian Mello-Baron, head of strategy at NHS HMR, believes the results are encouraging but there are still improvements to be made.

He said: “Overall the quality of urgent and emergency care provided to people living in the Borough is of a good standard and this is reflected in our score from the Healthcare Commission. However, we realise there is still a lot more progress to be made and are investing considerably into services. For example, the number of new health centres being developed around the Borough will help to reduce the number of unnecessary visits to A&E or out of hours services, allowing care to be provided to those who really need emergency treatment.

“The fact that local services work closely to provide consist levels of care to our patients has emerged as a key strength. We will continue to develop our partnerships with Rochdale Borough Council and other healthcare providers to ensure this continues and adds even more value to the overall patient experience.”