Read Jack Serle's latest HSJi Review, which notes that the new leadership team at NHS England has been anointed by the “transition CEO” Sir Jim Mackey.

Almost all the new appointments are chief executives from large acute provider trusts, reflecting the central goal for the next year: reducing the number of people waiting more than 18 weeks for elective care. Read the full article here.

Latest investigations

University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust

The trust’s emergency department was among nine rated as performing “better than expected” in the Care Quality Commission’s 2024 patient survey, and one of only two acute trusts with “better than expected” results in the CQC’s adult inpatient survey published in the same year. Its focus is on further improving theatre productivity. It has received the first dividend from its public/private pathology venture Health Service Laboratories jointly owned with The Doctor’s Laboratory and the Royal Free London group. CLH and neighbouring Whittington Health Trust announced a formal collaboration in spring 2024.

University Hospitals of Leicester Trust

University Hospitals of Leicester’s (UHL) growing elective backlog is typical for a trust of its size, although it performs better than average on very long waits. However, the trust has continued to make good progress on long waits, with only 2 per cent of its incomplete referral to treatment pathways over 52 weeks. This places it at the top of the 18 “peer group” trusts of a similar size on this measure. The trust has used insourcing firms' 18-week support and Medacs healthcare to drive ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and ENT activity. The trust is in “segment 4”, the lowest of NHS England’s four category financial oversight framework. This is largely the legacy of a major financial scandal that came to light in 2019. Its new hospital plans werekicked into the long grass.

Tees Group (North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals FT)

Following some initial resistance and an intervention by NHS England, North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals FT agreed to form a group model in February 2023. The avowed aim of the move was to improve the financial sustainability of acute and community services in the Tees area and to reduce the unwarranted variations in care experienced by some residents. Governance frameworks for the group are being developed. Five service areas have been identified for reconfiguration in 2025-26. Its hospital rebuild project is being divided into phases. NTH performs strongly on elective care, STH does not. The group’s biggest backlogs are in urology, trauma and orthopaedics, neurology, and surgical services.

Data

Last week, the following datapoints were updated:

• Leadership of ICS, Wales, Scotland in Feb
• 18 week waiting target of Scotland in Q3 2024-25
• % staff recommending care here of Acute, MH, Com, Amb in 2024-25