NHS England’s National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, has visited Harrogate to see the work being undertaken by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) and to hear about the healthcare provider’s ambitions and future strategy.
During the visit hosted by HDFT’s Executive Medical Director Dr Jacqueline Andrews on Friday 2 December, Professor Powis, the most senior doctor within the National Health Service in England, was taken on a tour of the Trust’s clinical services at Harrogate District Hospital, meeting a number of clinical teams.
Professor Powis who played a key role in the NHS’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is responsible for developing clinical policy for the NHS and for supporting and developing the medical and medically associated workforce in the NHS in England.
Accompanied by Dr Yvette Oade, Regional Medical Director for the North East and Yorkshire, he visited a number of clinical areas and teams, including the Emergency Department and Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), the Cardiology Catheterisation Laboratory, Maternity Services and the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). During his visit to the Hospital he also met with Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones.
Professor Powis also heard from senior clinicians during a medical showcase event which highlighted the Trust’s successes, challenges and opportunities – including securing investment for a state of the art new Electronic Patient Record system and the creation of an innovative digital exemplar ward to further improve care at the Trust.
Following the tour, Professor Powis held a question and answer session for medical and medically associated teams, before meeting the Trust’s Executive Director team, including Jonathan Coulter, the Trust’s Chief Executive and Sarah Armstrong, the Trust’s Chair.
Dr Jacqueline Andrews said: “We were delighted to host a visit by Professor Sir Stephen Powis and Dr Yvette Oade from the national and regional NHS team.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase all the great innovations that colleagues at HDFT are working on to improve the services we provide to patients. We were also able to share our new Trust strategy and clinical services strategy which aims to strengthen our reputation as a leading district general hospital and provider of children’s public health services.”