North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust recently welcomed Sir Julian Hartley, Chief Executive, NHS Providers, to its Harplands Hospital site in Stoke-on-Trent.
Sir Julian was met by Combined Healthcare’s David Rogers, Chairman, and Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive, as well as other senior members of staff before having a tour of Ward 6 for older people with complex needs associated with dementia. On the Ward, he found out more about the on-site salon where patients can now receive support to have their hair both cut and styled.
The tour of Harplands Hospital included a visit to the Crisis Care Centre, which provided Sir Julian with an overview of the All Age Access service on the 24/7 helpline and self-referral process of walk-ins to the Centre.
Sir Julian also toured the current building phase of the Trust’s multi-million pound Project Chrysalis site at the hospital*.
Project Chrysalis sets out to further improve the inpatient facilities and patient experiences at Harplands Hospital. Sir Julian visited the new 16-bed ward that is being built in Harplands Hospital, with individual en-suite bathrooms, assisted bathrooms, a gym facility and more.
The tour concluded with a live demonstration of Combined Virtual Reality (CVR) and the award-winning virtual reality delirium training product which was developed in-house by Combined Healthcare.
Sir Julian Hartley said: “It was great to visit Harplands Hospital, part of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust. I visited Ward 6 and it is clear that the team there go the extra mile to ensure that wonderfully kind and compassionate care are the hallmark of this service, and that the experience and care of patients is paramount.
“The Crisis Care Centre provides a single point of access for all those in mental health crisis with a prompt triage of needs and a full multi-disciplinary approach, and I thank the team there for their time explaining how they help people of all ages in crisis.
“Project Chrysalis was insightful, with the thought, care and advance planning going into this new development evident.
“It was also fascinating to participate in the demonstration of a virtual reality training film which recreates the experience of delirium in order to immerse the viewer in the position of a patient suffering delirium. This film is proving useful in the training of staff across the health and care system, and increasing awareness of the impact of delirium for patients.
“I left really inspired and enthused by the great work I’d seen. The power of integration across health and care is a fundamental part of the Trust’s approach, informed with a very practical ‘can do’ attitude.”
Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Julian Hartley to Harplands Hospital and thank him for visiting us and spending time with our hardworking members of staff across Ward 6, in the Crisis Care Centre and on our Project Chrysalis development to find out what they do every day.”
*Overall Project Chrysalis works are scheduled for completion at Harplands Hospital in 2025.