John Reid visits ACAD
15-Sep-2003
John Reid MP made a private visit to ACAD ( Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre) at Central Middlesex Hospital on Friday 5th September.
The Secretary of State took time to talk to patients and staf at the centre which was opened in June 1999 as a pioneering diagnostic and treatment facility designed to provide excellence in patient care by the Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair. It undertakes some 65,000-outpatient procedures/visits and over 13,000 surgical operations per year. The building was designed around a radical, streamlined patient pathway aiming to challenge old practice and traditional workforce boundaries. Quality is high on the agenda and this model of healthcare delivery has been well received by patients, staff and peers.
Last year, the centre participated in the 1st Movers project. This pilot proved to be extremely successful and resulted in treating some 1,800 patients across London. To undertake this work, ACAD introduced a 7-day operating week and a 12-hour operating day. This mode has been viewed very positively by patients, but has presented the organisation with a number of key challenges along the way, namely in the area of human resources.
The centre is soon to be working with a small group of DTC s across the country in an ambitious project setting out to dramatically redesign clinical services and processes to maximise efficiency and to enhance the patient experience.
Service innovation has been an ongoing theme at the Central Middlesex site for many years and building works are currently underway to construct the Brent Emergency Care and Diagnostic (BECaD) Centre, which is set to open in December 2005. This centre will be connected to ACAD and is aiming to revolutionise the provision of emergency care to the population of Brent. A number of key projects are underway testing out a variety of care delivery models in preparation of the challenge that awaits in 2 years time.