Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust (PCT) was delighted to hear today that it has retained its top ranking ‘3 star status’ in the 2005 NHS Performance Indicators. These indicators relate to performance in 2004/05.

The PCT has worked hard to maintain the ‘3 Star’ status which it first gained in 2003. Despite even tougher targets for the PCT to meet this year, this is the third year in a row that the PCT has achieved ‘3 stars’.

On hearing the news, Ruth FitzJohn, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust Chair, said:

“This achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of frontline staff who deliver NHS services in the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury area, as well as the PCT headquarters staff. It also reflects the contribution of other NHS organisations in the county and our partners in the community.”

The PCT, which provides and purchases healthcare services for the 163,000 residents living in the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury area, has performed well again this year.

Caroline Fowles, PCT Chief Executive, explained:

“The ‘Star’ ratings give us an opportunity to test our performance against national standards year on year. This year the PCT scored 8 out of 8 in the key target areas.”

She continued:

“We scored top marks, above the England average, for specific targets relating to access to quality services, health improvement and provision of services. I would like to thank PCT staff for the hard work which is reflected in our overall performance. I would also like to acknowledge the crucial contribution of our key partners. The strong relationships we have built with them over the past three years has been a major contributing factor in enabling us to do so well. This has included:

• excellent screening and vaccination rates made possible by the professional approach of our local GP surgeries;
• effective joint working with Social Services to achieve low numbers of patients waiting for transfer from hospital beds and fast response
• rates for people needing equipment to help them to maintain their independence at home;
• work with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on reducing waiting times
• work with Gloucestershire Partnership Trust, other statutory and non statutory partners to improve access to drug treatment
• strong work internally and with all our partners to deliver improvements within our allocated budget
  
  

The Indicators in More Detail

The NHS Performance Indicators are based on how well NHS organisations have performed on several key Indicators during the financial year 2004-2005. Locally the main findings are consistent with the PCT’s own priorities for improving performance and developing health services for patients over the next three years.

Key Targets

The Indicators show that the length of time residents in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury waited for inpatient and outpatient procedures were well within the national standards of 9 months and 17 weeks respectively.

They also point to significant achievements in Gloucestershire’s A&E departments. In 2004/2005, a snapshot of the A&E Departments showed that 99% of patients were seen within 4 hours of arrival at Accident and Emergency, against the national target of 98%. The Indicators highlight that patients who live in the PCT area enjoy good levels of access to services provided by family doctors and other primary care professionals including practice nurses.

Health Improvement

We are encouraged by figures that show that the majority of Indicators covering Health Improvement suggest that the population of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury have lower levels of mortality and serious illness than in previous years, matching similar improvements elsewhere in England.

The PCT has achieved and exceeded its end of year target for the number of people who have successfully ‘quit’ smoking*. The Trust has worked closely with the Gloucestershire Smoking Advice Service (GSAS), which trains and supports advisors in GP practices and reaches out to the wider community, working with schools, young people and employers. During 2004-2005, over 1,823 people in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury gave up smoking for at least 4 weeks after setting a ‘quit’ date with the NHS.

Rates for uptake of cervical and breast screening and flu vaccinations are above the national average. This is linked to the well established and successful screening programme in Gloucestershire and the work of family doctors, practice staff and community health care staff in supporting the annual flu vaccination campaign for over 65 year olds and those with chronic illness.

Patients’ Experiences


The results of the recent primary care survey are also reflected in the Indicators with consistent performance on the quality of care, on choice offered to patients and satisfaction with the cleanliness and comfort of GP practices.

Staff Experiences

This year’s staff attitude survey showed that there was also a consistent and good response from staff about working within the PCT.

Room for Improvement

PCT Chief Executive, Caroline Fowles explained that the PCT was not complacent about its performance. The Indicators, and other government targets, provide a focus for seeking continuous improvement in the health and wellbeing of local residents and in their experiences of NHS services.

The PCT had one area marked as poor performance – Risk Management. This actually relates to whether the PCT has achieved Level 1 status for the NHS Litigation Authority. The PCT is due to undergo Level 1 assessment in August and fully expects to achieve this. 3/

The PCT continues to work with colleagues in the Ambulance Trust to ensure steps are taken to improve Category A response times and meet the 75% target for emergency calls.

Caroline Fowles noted:

“Given the increasing demands on our services and even tougher targets, we face further challenges this year. However we are committed to maintaining this level of achievement and to doing our best for local residents.”

Some developments, which have helped us to maintain our 3 Stars

During the year the PCT commissioned the Prestbury Road Stroke Service in Cheltenham, which is a joint development between Health and Social Services. This new facility attached to the Day Centre is now able to provide a range of programmes to support residents who have experienced a stroke with active rehabilitation and support those elderly residents who have experienced a fall.

The PCT in 2004 accepted the responsibility for out of hours care for our residents, following the implementation of the new GP contract. The service has been developed jointly with the Gloucestershire PCTs and the Gloucestershire Ambulance Trust, and locally Primary Care Centres have been opened at Cheltenham General Hospital and Tewkesbury Hospital for patient treatment, when required. This is also supported by a countywide mobile doctor service with dedicated vehicles and trained care technicians. The out of hours service is now responding to over 2,500 to 3,000 patient contacts per week.

During the year, the PCT worked with GP colleagues to ensure the smooth implementation of the new GP contract from the 1st April, and this included several local initiatives in addition to the national contractual requirements. GP Practices were required to demonstrate the quality of care provided to local residents, and to be compared against a national bench mark ‘quality and outcomes framework’. All practices in the PCT exceeded the national average for the points achieved and demonstrated the quality of primary care we provide to our local residents.

Residents who have experienced a heart condition have also benefited from the expansion of the service provided by the Primary Care Trust coronary heart disease nursing team. A new programme has been developed to provide support for those patients who have experienced an angina.

The PCT has also been keen to support Breast feeding initiatives to ensure that babies have the best possible start in life. Additional programmes have been developed encouraging new mothers to breast feed.

The Primary Care Trust has looked at innovative ways to support older people in our communities and we were successful in securing a £4million grant from the Department of Health to develop 75 extra care sheltered housing units with social services colleagues. Planning and detailed architect designs are being finalised and this new facility in Tewkesbury will be a welcome addition to support the rising number of older people within the community.

Shurdington is a village on the outskirts of Cheltenham within the boundary of Tewkesbury Borough Council. It has a high proportion of older residents who have raised concerns with the PCT about access to primary care services in Shurdington. As a result of consultation with the Parish Council and local residents, a four month pilot fortnightly drop in clinic was held between November 2004 and March 2005. Services included appointments with a Registered General Nurse for Older People, advice from a community pharmacist, advice from Carers Gloucestershire and general health, social care and home safety advice.

The clinic was evaluated by the Patient and Public Forum and there was very positive feedback from all attendees who were interviewed. The clinic is now continuing once a month together with the Parish Council and Friendship Group. These clinics will also include themed sessions, the first focussing on falls prevention in July.

Gloucestershire’s Performance Overall

Caroline commented:

“The strong performance across the county is reassuring news for local residents and reflects the very real benefits of the strong partnership working that exists between local health and social care organisations.”