Review assures quality of administration in Outpatients department

An assurance review of the administration of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s Outpatients department has given the service a rating of “reasonable assurance”, the second highest rating (out of four).

The review was undertaken by business assurance specialists TIAA and follows the reconfiguration of the service in 2014 and the introduction of new systems to the department.

The review found that a number of improvements have been made since the CQC inspections in 2014 and 2015 and that robust controls and processes are in place for the efficient and effective running of the service.  These include the introduction of a new telephone system, extending the opening hours of the Booking Service, the implementation of e-referrals and the development of Standard Operating Procedures.

The department handles the administration of over 380,000 outpatient appointments a year and has an important part to play in ensuring the Trust meets its waiting time targets for patients.

Liz Fellows, Assistant Director, Operations for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Our Outpatient Administration service has been through a number of significant changes in recent years, so it is heartening to receive this assurance about the quality of service we provide for our patients.

“I would like to thank all the staff who work in the department for their hard work and dedication and I look forward to working with them to implement the recommendations made in the review to further improve the service.”