Two KGH services in best practice NHS national reports
Kettering General Hospital has had two examples of the way it delivers great patient care accepted for use in national reports designed to spread best practice across the NHS.
The hospital’s case study examples have contributed to the national Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme designed to improve medical care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations.
Our case studies show how we have extended the use of high-cost arthritis drugs to more local patients and how we have speeded up lung cancer diagnosis and treatment through the use of ultrasound.
GIRFT reviews look at NHS services and produce reports that identify changes that will help improve care and patient outcomes, as well as delivering efficiencies and cost savings, across the NHS.
Kettering General Hospital’s GIRFT Lead, Dr Simon Hetherington, said: “We are enormously proud that the work we have done to improve patient care has been accepted as case studies for these important national reports.
“They are fine examples of how our teams have worked together, in collaboration with our health partners, to tackle very real issues in ways that benefit patients, save money, and highlight lessons for other NHS organisations.”
Case study 1 - Better support for people with arthritis
KGH’s Clinical Lead for Rheumatology, Dr Anoop Kuttikat, has described how work the Trust has done around medications for people with arthritis has enabled more patients to be treated, greater access to the latest medications, and saved the hospital more than £360,000.
The work has involved the prescription of ‘biosimilar’ drugs - medications which perform in the same way as more expensive ‘top brand’ medicines, but are cheaper, enabling more patients to use them.
Dr Kuttikat said: “Patients, who suffer from long term chronic conditions, including inflammatory conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, can experience a severe delay in access to receiving highly effective treatments that prevent disease progression.
“These treatments are typically high cost medicines and therefore undergo restrictions and approvals from commissioners before they are given to patients.
“We have sought out and introduced ‘biosimilar medicines’ giving us greater access to important treatments for thousands of hospital patients with serious conditions.
“The drugs cost less, are just as safe and effective, and by having more money left to spend our commissioners can enable more local people to receive these treatments that can help improve their lives.”
Multi-disciplinary work between rheumatology, pharmacy, commissioners, and patients, has also enabled access to other new and innovative medicines so that patients can benefit from the latest arthritis drugs.
Case study 2 – Rapid one-stop ultrasound biopsy service leading to faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer
KGH’s Lung Cancer Service has been commended for its one-stop clinic for delivering ultrasound guided biopsies for patients who may have lung cancer to enable them to get the right treatment without delay.
It will be mentioned in a forthcoming National Lung Cancer GIRFT report by NHS England which looks at outcomes from all units in England.
Ultrasound-guided biopsies in eligible patients are a very efficient alternative to CT-guided biopsies, for which there are longer waits and some radiation dose.
KGH’s service is delivered by Respiratory Consultant and Lung Cancer Lead, Dr George Tsaknis, Respiratory Consultant, Dr Muhammad Naeem, and Lung Cancer Nurse Specialists Laura Goodman, Natalie Johnson and Melissa Frost, MDT co-ordinator, Kirsty Bremner, and Lung Cancer Navigator, Sharon Denny.
Dr Tsaknis said: “The increasing demand for faster diagnosis and faster treatment in suspected lung cancer means establishing a rapid access ‘one-stop’ physician-led ultra sound -biopsy service like ours seems the logical step, instead of demanding more CT slots from an already stretched radiology service within any Trust.
“It is very rewarding to see how rapidly we can provide diagnosis in patients with suspected lung cancer, giving them the opportunity for faster oncology input and hopefully better outcomes.
“All patients that have been treated via the ‘one stop’ pathway have been impressed with the speed of the service.
“Very rarely have patients refused the ‘rapid’ ultrasound option, as naturally most of them want answers as soon as possible.
KGH’s Lung Cancer Nurse Specialists commented: “Patients also find it very reassuring that ‘the doctor who sees them in clinic, also does their biopsy’, and the process is smoother without any breakdown of communication.
“Our active involvement also significantly improves communication and patient experience.”
The ultra sound procedure is very effective with 96% of patients not needing any further procedures to take additional tissue in order to complete appropriate testing.
The one-stop clinic has also reduced pressure on CT scanner appointments enabling other people who need CT scans to have reduced waiting times.
The service is available for eligible patients from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm through the Respiratory Ambulatory Care Unit.
