One Message

The monthly staff briefing

from the Chief Executive May 2009

Shaping up for St George’s future

Dear Colleague,
I would like to start by extending a big St George’s strategic aims are set firmly
thank you to staff from across the Trust for against our vision, which states that, “we will
all your hard work over the past 12 months. work tirelessly to give outstanding care to all
Your efforts have helped to ensure that our our patients. We will enhance our position as
financial position for the end of 2008/09 is on a leading specialist teaching hospital at the
course to meet our target and we will even forefront of health care, with excellence in
record a small surplus. service, teaching and research”. Our vision is
in turn underpinned by our values which you
We have certainly come a long way from the can read on the image panels of each issue of
years of Turnaround when our future was very One Message.
much under a cloud. Evidence of the way we
are changing and doing things better can be Our vision and values are what shape
seen across the Trust. The opening of the new St George’s. Put simply, they are the way we
Grovesnor Wing entrance is another major do business. Looking forward to 2009/10 we
advancement in our efforts to improve the St have some major business challenges which
George’s experience for our patients, visitors we will need to meet if we are to become a
and staff. Foundation Trust (FT). The stakes are high but
if we can deliver we will secure the long-term
Today the outlook for St George’s is brighter future of St George’s.
than ever and reflected in the progress we
have made during 2008/09 against our The scale of the challenge
strategic aims:
The Trust’s financial position remains the

dominant factor affecting the timetable for
• Improved control of MRSA and C difficile
our FT application. The fact is that if we are
and the achievement of a hospital
to put ourselves in a position to apply for
standardised mortality ratio in the top
FT status then we will need to improve our
ten in England
performance to the tune of £50m in the next
• Submission of successful bids to become
financial year, which represents 11% of our
a major trauma centre and to provide
total budget.
the full range of acute stroke services
Our values + Treat all • Progress towards establishing networks
In order to reach this target we plan to
people with respect and in paediatrics and urology
generate £23m through increased income. I
dignity + Deliver care in • Progress towards establishing an
am confident this figure can be achieved and
partnership with others academic health sciences and social care
the Transformation team is currently working
network in South West London
+ Continually strive for • Improved structure for the delivery of
hard with the operational teams to safely
excellence + Ensure reduce the length of stay of patients, and
postgraduate medical training
probity and transparency remove delays in discharge, to increase bed
• Received approval for our outline plans
capacity, while additional theatre capacity
in spending public money for the redevelopment of the Tooting
is also being made available. Of course it
+ Be an exemplary site from NHS London
is important that we get the right level of
employer + Be committed • As South West London’s largest cancer
funding for the extra work we do and tariff
to education, training and centre, work has started on a detailed
rates are currently being negotiated by the
strategy to further develop our cancer
research + Be open and Finance team with our local primary care
services
honest with each other
 trusts.
Changing established ways of working will
help the Trust to make more savings with a
further £5m expected through the improved
use of medical supplies and £1m from a
review of the way coding charges are made.
There will also be savings on staff pay
achieved through better management of
staff time and the reduction of agency costs.
This work will include the introduction of
electronic staff rostering, and a drive to
identify the problems behind staff sickness
levels and reduce turnover.
Where will the change take us?
St George’s overriding mission remains the
same as it has always been - to provide local
hospital services to the people of south west
London and specialist hospital services to the
people of London, south east England and
across the UK.
Our strategy is beginning to bear fruit and we
are developing services that meet the needs
of a modern NHS; one where patients rightly
have increasing expectations of the standard
of care they should receive.
We are also considered by NHS London
as a Trust that can deliver change and
raise standards of patient care. The public
consultation on proposals to change stroke
and trauma services in London, which has St
George’s very much at its heart, is just one
example of how we are being seen as a Trust
with a ‘can do’ attitude.
Our values + Treat all
people with respect and
dignity + Deliver care in
partnership with others
+ Continually strive for
excellence + Ensure
probity and transparency
in spending public money
+ Be an exemplary
employer + Be committed
to education, training and
research + Be open and
honest with each other
Your support is vital
Ultimately it is our staff who hold the key
to successful change and it is you who will
determine whether St George’s achieves
its goals or not. I know from my time here
that staff relish a challenge and with your
continued support we will succeed in
transforming how we work together and
what we do.
The prize is one worth fighting for. By
becoming more productive and improving
our financial position we will be in a position
to enter the FT assessment process and
demonstrate to Monitor, the FT regulator, that
St George’s is a financially viable organisation.
Achieving FT status is key to enhancing
St George’s reputation as a leading London
teaching hospital.
However, our drive for FT status will not have
an adverse impact on patient care. It will
instead enable us to build on our reputation
and deliver even higher standards of care to
patients.
Find out more
A special summary version of the 2009/10
Business Plan has been prepared to help
staff understand our plans for change. The
plan is available to view via the intranet or
in hard copy by emailing communications@
stgeorges.nhs.uk
David Astley
Chief Executive