NNUH Faces Uphill Battle to Meet Patient Wait Time Targets Amid Staffing Challenges

In a recent statement, Professor Dwyer, the head of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), addressed the ongoing challenges faced by the hospital in meeting government targets for patient wait times. Emphasizing that corridor care—a practice where patients are treated in corridors due to space issues—had only been utilized once since June, she affirmed that the hospital is committed to providing a higher standard of care as it navigates the pressures of increasing demand and limited resources. The government has set a clear directive for the NHS to restore the 18-week wait time standard for patients referred for non-urgent treatment. However, NNUH, like many hospitals across the UK, is currently falling short of these expectations, particularly within its gynaecology department, which has been identified as facing significant difficulties in managing patient backlog. "We've got a big challenge ahead of us with the new government saying that within the first term we need to get back to the 18-week standard," Prof Dwyer explained. She expressed a belief that achieving this target is possible, pointing to past successes as a foundation for future improvements. "I think it's been achievable in the past, so we need to think about what we do differently," she added, calling for innovative strategies to tackle the backlog effectively. The hospital's performance was also recently scrutinized by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which released a report indicating that NNUH requires improvement in several areas, including staff training and the adequacy of medical equipment. Prof Dwyer acknowledged the concerns raised in the report, particularly regarding the experiences of minority ethnic, disabled, and LGBTQ+ staff, who reported instances of bullying and harassment. In response to these issues, she stressed that there is a "zero tolerance" policy towards bullies within the organization and expressed confidence in her ability to foster a more inclusive and supportive culture at the hospital. "I'm absolutely able to turn the hospital's culture around," she asserted. Prof Dwyer highlighted the steps taken to enhance staff training, although she conceded that there have been delays in upgrading outdated medical equipment. Despite the challenges ahead, she remains optimistic about the goodwill and commitment of the staff at NNUH. "We're not quite there yet, but there is a lot of goodwill. And what I see every day is that people are working well around this," she noted, signaling a hopeful outlook for the hospital's future as it aims to improve patient care and staff wellbeing in the coming months. As the pressure mounts to meet government directives, the leadership at NNUH is focused on navigating these challenges with renewed vigor and determination.