Haywards Heath hospital run by healthcare charity welcomes extended NHS deal

Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, welcomed the opportunity to support patients with elective hospital care as part of the independent sector-wide contract extension with the NHS.

Roger Skipp, hospital director at Nuffield Health Haywards Heath Hospital, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone. Our hospital team is welcoming back people from our local communities who have been waiting patiently for access to our hospital services during the pandemic.

“The agreement between the independent sector and the NHS allows our hospital to offer access to more of our hospital services including diagnostics, endoscopy, orthopaedic and spinal surgery, gynaecology, urology, ophthalmology and general surgery to people with health insurance or who are paying themselves.

“We are also continuing to care for NHS patients, working closely with the fantastic teams at Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust to reduce waiting times and free up capacity within the NHS.”

The hospital’s experienced infection prevention team ensures that everyone that visits is able to receive high quality care in a safe environment, he added.

Roger said: “We are taking people’s temperature upon arrival, following current guidance for wearing PPE, have implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfection of the environment and equipment and have separated patient pathways to enable additional protection in green zones for those who are admitted to the ward.

“Social distancing in waiting areas has been implemented and this together with the requirement for wearing a face covering or mask when entering the building offers protection for patients and staff alike.

“We are also offering remote consultations for patients and our end-to-end connected services make us stand out in our care for people of all ages, from fitness and wellbeing to treatment and recovery.”

In a recent nationwide survey of 3,217 Nuffield Health patients, 73 per cent indicated they will reschedule their appointment within a month of being able to do so. Twenty per cent indicated they will delay their rebooking for 1-6 months, primarily due to Covid-19 concerns or due to timing issues, holiday plans or work and family commitments. Only two per cent stated they would not rebook, according to the charity.

Steve Gray, chief executive at Nuffield Health, saids: “As the UK’s largest healthcare charity, we welcome this agreement with the NHS and we are committed to supporting patients, both NHS and those with health insurance or patients who choose to pay for themselves, who have had to wait for hospital care because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The revised agreement with the NHS expands the flexibility and level of care independent sector providers can offer people with conditions including cancer surgery, cardiac care, orthopaedics, spinal surgery which were previously assessed as ‘non-urgent’ during the first phases of the Covid-19 pandemic. By utilising available capacity within the independent sector, NHS and privately-funded patients can get the diagnosis and treatment they need faster, reducing waiting times and relieving the pressure on our fantastic NHS.

“So far, over 90,000 NHS patients have benefitted from the care provided at our 31 hospitals across the UK during the pandemic. This includes Covid-19 positive patients, those needing intensive care or oxygen support, those undergoing cancer treatment (shielding vulnerable patients from Covid-19), and those needing urgent surgery. We remain committed to providing additional capacity to NHS trusts and NHS patients as the pandemic continues to evolve.”

For a virtual tour of the social distancing measures and safety procedures Nuffield Health’s hospitals have implemented, visit: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/welcome