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What staff say about Treatment Centres
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Last modified date:8 February 2007
Staff experiences of Treatment Centres
The manager
Sophia Brown, clinic manager at Moorfields' Eye Hospital's TC, has seen the TC office grow from just "a piece of paper and a pen"
into a busy, streamlined facility dealing with around 44 patients a day.
After working in various administration management positions at the hospital for the past two years, she relished the challenge of opening the new cataract surgery TC in September 2002.
She has faced many challenges in the first few months, but sees lots of benefits.
"You know from a management point of view exactly where you stand. For instance, you know that you have 16 patients in for surgery on any given day and we have to resource it no matter what, and build in systems to deal with that. We do have to be flexible because patients do cancel, but on the whole you know where you are.
"The patient is at the centre of what we do. It's very organised, there's a set way of working, which the staff also seem to like.
"And the patients certainly appreciate it, which rubs off on us all. It's a good atmosphere."
The doctor
Mr Vipin Asopa is a registered medical officer at Ravenscourt Park Hospital's TC in west London. He specialises in orthopaedics, looking after patients who need planned surgery, including hip and knee replacements, or for shoulder and spinal problems.
Mr Asopa sees around 18 patients for pre-assessment each day. He says:
"The biggest difference between this and part of another hospital is that you see patients and give them a diagnosis in one episode and they leave having chosen a date for their operation, normally within four weeks. We have a set protocol of procedures to follow for diagnosis. If we have any questions or concerns, we can easily get in touch with the consultant surgeons and anaesthetists who operate here.
"After their operation people are usually able to leave more quickly than they would in a normal hospital. That's because our physiotherapists and occupational therapists are able to give them more concentrated attention."
The nurse
"The staff love it. They work in small teams and they all know their colleagues. They also know what their targets and timescales are, so it's all very clear."
Divisional nursing manager, Ann Hughes, has been at Moorfields Eye Hospital many years and has seen vast amounts of change both in the NHS and at Moorfields'. The new TC concept is one initiative she is fully embracing.
Ann has been at the St Ann's TC in Tottenham since its inception. She says setting up the TC within the time she was given was a real challenge. But now that the clinic is seeing around 44 patients a day, her efforts are being repaid in terms of both satisfied staff and patients.
"The patients know when they are coming in, it's all mapped out for them. They have specialist teams to help them, so they don't have to go to different wards and have their appointment rescheduled because something else has cropped up to take the attention away from their elective surgery. There's a good flow and the patient experiences a smooth operation.
"The staff love it. They work in small teams and they all know their colleagues. They also know what their targets and timescales are, so it's all very clear."
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