3 April 2014
During Tuesday’s Department of Health question time in the House of Commons, Stratford on Avon MP, Nadhim Zahawi, congratulated South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT) on their innovative new model for compassionate care for the frail elderly. Nadhim asked the Secretary of State: “In a report published by the King’s Fund last month, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust was highlighted as a leading example of compassionate care for the frail elderly. Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the trust’s staff on the move away from tick-box target, and visit the trust to see this new emergency care model in practice?” The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, responded: “I much enjoyed a recent dinner where I had the chance to meet a consultant from South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. One of the discussions I remember having with him was how inside the NHS the definition of success for a hospital was in the past too narrowly focused on targets and financial balance, and not enough on patient safety, compassionate care and clinical outcomes. He, and many other people in the NHS, welcome the change that this Government have made in the past year to change the balance.” The Trust worked alongside patients, clinicians and other partners to develop a transformative approach to the way care is delivered to older people. The model promotes out of hospital care and the need for older people to have a proper assessment from a specialist Care of the Elderly physician as soon as they arrive at the hospital. Nadhim later commented: “The Government has made it a key priority to restore a culture of compassionate care throughout the NHS, and it’s fantastic to see that SWFT are taking innovative steps to improve the quality of their service.”