A business case to redesign Royal Derby Hospital’s acute front door, UK
The business case seeks to secure funding to consolidate urgent ambulatory care services for patients at the start of their journey in hospital, reducing or removing time spent in the A&E, enabling faster treatment and reducing admissions into hospital.
Who is the client?
Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was the former trust that ran Royal Derby Hospital and London Road Community Hospital. In 2018, they merged with Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to form University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. The new trust manages all five hospitals across Derby, Burton, Tamworth and Lichfield as well as community services. Derby has the region’s only rooftop helipad, and is therefore key to emergency care.
The challenge: reducing overcrowding and prevent unnecessary admissions
The Trust needed to reduce hospital admissions and time spent in the Emergency Department. A key way to do this was to introduce ambulatory services (outpatient services of patients not needing admission) at the start of the patient journey, diverting patients from A&E and unnecessary hospital admission. But they needed a strong business case to secure funds from NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) if they were to make the project possible.
At the same time the Trust was progressing with plans to merge with Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, requiring constant, careful management of priorities to ensure the success of the project and merger.
In early 2020 the project team were finalising the business case when the coronavirus pandemic arrived, leading to a project pause and then a partial re-design.
Finding a solution
We supported the Trust with our considerable experience of business case authoring, liaison with NHSE&I, governance, reporting, and project management from working with other Trusts. Anna Fawcett carefully managed project reporting, governance, risk management, programme management, as well as managing the relationship with NHSE&I. She gained our client’s trust and was able to act on behalf of the Project Director and Programme Manager, when needed.
What was the outcome?
The project has experienced significant challenges, however we have helped the Trust project team maintain the support of their Executive Directors and Trust Board. We have also helped the Trust develop relationships with their regional NHSE&I leads who are now supporting the team in finalising the Full Business Case.
We are confident that this will be approved by all parties so that construction can commence in 2021, and move the project one step closer to improving patients’ experience at the Royal Derby Hospital.
Since our appointment, the Trust has also asked us to support them with three further capital schemes
