Today sees the start of our latest Perfect Week, aimed at making improvements from the moment our patients come through our Emergency Department (ED) doors.

There will be a focus on ensuring patients move through our hospitals in a timely manner (often referred to as patient flow). And colleagues will be encouraged to contribute to suggestions to ultimately improve patient experience and relieve some of the pressures on them and their teams, too.

A key aim for the week and beyond is to look at ways to consistently achieve our Emergency Care Standard (ECS). The standard we have set ourselves is to assess, treat and either admit or discharge 76 per cent of patients within four hours of their arrival at an ED.

Head Nurse for Urgent and Emergency Care, Tom Ladlow, said: “This Perfect Week isn't just about meeting targets - it's about working together to improve patient experience and outcomes through timely access to care, ensuring good patient flow throughout our hospitals and beyond.

“Throughout the week there will be an increased focus on ensuring patients are seen, treated and either admitted or discharged from the Emergency Department within four hours, and we’ve been working closely with colleagues across all our divisions and with our partners as this really is a #TeamCHFT effort.

“We’re also pleased to re-open the Same Day Emergency Care Department at CRH. Huge thanks to our Orthopaedic Clinic teams for moving to the old Rainbow Unit at CRH, and for the support from the Service Performance Team, Jane Mackenzie and Rachel Roberts to get the work done in super-quick time. It’s going to help us assess our patients much more quickly.”