West Herts rated as one of best NHS Trusts in England
They were ranked 8th for A&E waiting times
New figures have revealed West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the top performing Trusts in England.
During one of the busiest months of the year, the Trust was ranked as the 8th best for A&E waiting times out of 121 Trusts.
Four out of five patients were treated within the four-hour target despite a huge demand in winter illnesses including the flu and norovirus.
Chief operating officer, Rachel Thorman, said:
“These latest figures from NHS England reflect the hard work, dedication and skill of our teams in delivering high quality care over these difficult and complex winter months.
“The significant and sustained improvements we’ve seen are a result of our detailed focus on every aspect of what we do – from embracing real-time data and technology, to streamlining patient pathways and cutting missed appointments and cancellations, everyone has a role to play in reducing waiting times and making a positive difference.
“Numbers and targets are important to an extent - but only in as far as they reflect how we’re improving what we do for our patients – and that’s what motivates us all.
“We want to keep on improving and be relentless in driving down waiting times for our patients. It’s not going to be easy and we know there are still many people waiting too long for care - but we’re making progress and will continue to work hard to keep on improving for our patients.”
Cancer and planned treatment also improved with 98.6% of cancer patients starting their treatment within 31 days of a agreeing a treatment plan with their doctor in December, 87.2% of patients with urgent referrals being treated within two months and 61.6% of non urgent patients starting treatment within 18 weeks.