Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

Last updated

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
NHS NNUH entrance.jpg
Arthur South Day Procedure Unit entrance
Norfolk UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Norfolk
Geography
LocationColney Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, England
Coordinates 52°37′01″N1°13′12″E / 52.617°N 1.220°E / 52.617; 1.220
Organisation
Care system NHS England
Type Teaching
Affiliated university Norwich Medical School
University of East Anglia
Services
Emergency department Yes
Beds1237 [1]
SpecialityNeonatal Intensive Care, Foetal Medicine, Orthopaedics, Cancer, Plastic Surgery, Rheumatology, Ophthalmology, Paediatric Medicine and Surgery
History
Opened2001
Links
Website www.nnuh.nhs.uk/our-services/our-hospitals/norfolk-and-norwich-university-hospital/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) is a large National Health Service academic teaching hospital in the Norwich Research Park on the western outskirts of Norwich, England.

Contents

The university hospital replaced the former, Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, which was founded in 1771, and the West Norwich Hospital. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was built under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), and opened in late 2001: it has 1237 acute beds and offers a wide range of NHS acute health services plus private patient facilities. It is one of the largest hospitals in the United Kingdom in terms of in-patient capacity. The hospital is part of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

NNUH was the first new NHS teaching hospital built in England for more than 30 years and the hospital trust is a partner with the University of East Anglia in the delivery of courses. [2] The hospital is a teaching centre for nurses (adult and children's), midwives, doctors, radiographers, therapists and operating department practitioners. It hosts the Norwich GP speciality training scheme.

Construction

On 11 January 1998, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the go-ahead for the construction of a £214 million, 809 bed, new hospital in a broadcast from Tokyo on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost show. [3] Site work started the following day (12 January 1998). The project was the first large PFI hospital scheme in the NHS. In July 2000 approval was given to extend the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with a second phase that included an additional 144 beds and took the project cost to £229 million. [4] The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust pays the private PFI Octagon consortium in the region of £41 million a year. [4] In 2004, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants assessed the actual costs at £1.16 billion, or around five times the initial cost of £229 million. [4]

Project team:

The hospital was completed in August 2001, five months ahead of schedule, and on budget. The hospital won the Building Better Healthcare Award [5] for Best Designed Hospital in September 2002. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was also highly commended in the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award in 2002. [6]

It is one of a small number of Accident and Emergency departments to benefit from Pearson Lloyd's redesign - 'A Better A&E' - which reduced aggression against hospital staff by 50 per cent. A system of environmental signage provides location-specific information for patients. Screens provide live information about how many cases are being handled and the current status of the A&E department. [7]

Development

A £4.5m radiotherapy cancer treatment unit, the Winterton Unit, at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, was opened by the Duke of Gloucester in May 2014. The unit is set to increase capacity at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by 25pc. [8]

Controversy

The controversial Private Finance Initiative was first introduced to the public sector under the Conservative government of John Major and the contract for NNUH, one of the first PFI hospitals, was signed in 1996. The level of subsequent potential risks and costs borne by the public sector was thought by some critics of the deal to be unacceptably high. In 2006 Edward Leigh, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, appropriated a famous Edward Heath quote (originally used with reference to Tiny Rowland of Lonrho International [9] ) to describe the Department of Health's approach to a refinancing deal for the NNUH PFI:

"It is hard to escape the conclusion that the public sector staff managing the project were not up to the rough and tumble of negotiating refinancing proposals with the private sector ... The unacceptable face of capitalism." [10]

The hospital neighbours the constituency of South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon, also a member of the Public Accounts Committee. Mr. Bacon wrote about the financing of the hospital on his website; "The Department of Health would not allow the hospital to include a refinancing clause in the original contract. This meant the hospital had no right to receive any proceeds from the refinancing at all, let alone the 29% share it eventually secured. And that right was only obtained by taking on huge extra potential liabilities." [11]

In 2006/07, the trust projected a savings target of £14.8 million but recorded a surplus of £867,000 by the end of the same financial year. [12] In 2007, the Audit Commission's "Review of the NHS financial year 2006/07" reported that the trust was delivering the best financial management of any NHS Trust in the country [13]

In 2006, the Public Accounts Committee released report into the PFI refinancing conducted by the private Octagon Healthcare consortium, of which Innisfree Ltd owns a quarter, involved in building the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital of "lining investors' pockets" and putting the trust at increased financial risk. The report noted that the consortium was receiving an over £80 million pound windfall from the deal, and the National Audit Office said that the windfall was the third it had uncovered after complaints from MPs and the public. [14] The Consortium lengthened the NHS's repayment term from 34 to 39 years, but raising their own rate of return from 16 to 60 per cent. [15]

Healthcare associated infections and black alerts

Between 2002 and 2006 the hospital saw 65 patients die from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), making it one of the ten worst hospitals in the United Kingdom in terms of deaths from the superbug. [16] In 2006 an outbreak of a community-acquired infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus on the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital, resulted in five babies carrying the organism and possibly contributing to the death of one baby. [17]

The hospital was placed on black alert in November 2007 when it ran out of beds for a time. Ambulances were forced to queue outside the building while non-urgent patients were discharged to free up beds and a major incident emergency plan implemented. [18]

In March 2011 several wards in the hospital were closed as a result of an outbreak of the community infection Norovirus. [19]

In 2011, a Care Quality Commission inspection found that the hospital was in the moderate concern category with regards to nutritional screening. [20] The inspection report stated "People who use the service can be assured that they will be provided with respect, dignity and privacy by the staff during their stay in hospital. However, we observed that some improvements were needed". [21]

In March 2014 the N&N, Norfolk's biggest hospital, marked two years of being MRSA free. [22]

Performance

In December 2019 the hospital was unable to provide a safe service for patients. Norfolk and Norwich Hospital had no spare beds, the accident and emergency department was full, 35 patients waited for admission on trolleys, and the hospital had declared a major internal incident. The Trust told senior doctors, "We would like you to know that the trust will support you in making difficult decisions that may be the least unsafe decision, and we would appreciate your cooperation over the coming days with this". Dr Julia Patterson, a spokeswoman for EveryDoctor, which campaigns to improve doctors' working conditions, said the trust's message meant "optimal care is unavailable now for some NHS patients [because] 'the least unsafe option' is the best we can offer. When hospitals are so full that there are no intensive care beds, no hospital beds at all, and essential operations are being cancelled because there's simply no one to do the surgery, then every option carries undue risk". [23]

People and NNUH

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital from the air NorfolkAndNorwichUniversityHospital(KatyAppleton)Aug2005.jpg
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital from the air

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has been visited by a number of notable people in public life;

See also

Related Research Articles

The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 1992 by Prime Minister John Major, and expanded considerably by the Blair government, PFI is part of the wider programme of privatisation and financialisation, and presented as a means for increasing accountability and efficiency for public spending.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a British public sector healthcare provider located in Cambridge, England. It was established on 4 November 1992 as Addenbrooke's National Health Service Trust, and authorised as an NHS foundation trust under its current name on 1 July 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham</span> Hospital in Birmingham, England

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is a major, 1,215 bed, tertiary NHS and military hospital in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, situated very close to the University of Birmingham. The hospital, which cost £545 million to construct, opened on 16 June 2010, replacing the previous Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Selly Oak Hospital. It is one of the largest single-site hospitals in the United Kingdom and is part of one of the largest teaching trusts in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn</span> Hospital in Norfolk, England

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. It is located on the outskirts of King's Lynn, to the eastern edge of the town. The catchment area of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital covers the West Norfolk area, South Lincolnshire and Northern part of Fenland District, Cambridgeshire, an area of approximately 1500 km2 and 250,000 people. It is managed by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is named after Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, rather than Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust</span> NHS hospital trust

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust provides adult district general hospital services for Birmingham as well as specialist treatments for the West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust</span>

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS Foundation Trust which runs Cromer Hospital and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, both in Norfolk, England. The trust was first established on 8 February 1994 as the Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust and authorised as the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on 1 May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston General Hospital</span> NHS district hospital

Weston General Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in the town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, operated by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. As of June 2019, the hospital had 261 beds and around 1,800 clinical and non-clinical staff. It has a part-time Accident & Emergency department, an intensive care unit, an oncology and haematology day unit, and a day case unit. The hospital also has a 12-bed private unit, The Waterside Suite, wholly owned by the hospital trust, with profits being re-invested into the main hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London</span> Hospital in London, England

Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a hospital in Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It was opened in March 2001 and serves patients from the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. The hospital was built to accommodate the services previously provided at Greenwich District Hospital and Brook General Hospital, and is a Private Finance Initiative hospital. It is managed by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Alexandra Hospital</span> General hospital near Portsmouth, England

The Queen Alexandra Hospital is a large NHS hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire. Located in Cosham, it is run by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and has a Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit attached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Hospital Hairmyres</span> Hospital in Scotland

University Hospital Hairmyres is a district general hospital in the Hairmyres neighbourhood of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The hospital serves one of the largest elderly populations in Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lanarkshire.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs the Great Western Hospital, a large hospital situated in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, next to junction 15 of the M4 motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Hospital Coventry</span> Hospital in Coventry, West Midlands, England

University Hospital Coventry is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital situated in the Walsgrave on Sowe area of Coventry, West Midlands, England, 4 miles (6 km) north-east of the city centre. It is part of the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and is the principal hospital serving Coventry and Rugby, providing a wide range of services. It works in partnership with the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School. It has a large, progressive accident & emergency department providing a trauma service to Coventry and Warwickshire.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is one of England's largest acute teaching trusts. It was established on 1 April 2006 following the merger of Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre NHS Trusts. They provide acute and specialist services to 2.5m people within Nottingham and surrounding communities at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and the City Hospital campuses, as well as specialist services for a further 3-4m people from across the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musgrove Park Hospital</span> Hospital in England

Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS hospital located in Taunton, Somerset, England, run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of the National Health Service (England)</span>

Criticism of the National Health Service (England) includes issues such as access, waiting lists, healthcare coverage, and various scandals. The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded health care system of England, created under the National Health Service Act 1946 by the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee. It has come under much criticism, especially during the early 2000s, due to outbreaks of antibiotic resistant infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile infection, waiting lists, and medical scandals such as the Alder Hey organs scandal. However, the involvement of the NHS in scandals extends back many years, including over the provision of mental health care in the 1970s and 1980s (ultimately part of the reason for the Mental Health Act 1983), and overspends on hospital newbuilds, including Guy's Hospital Phase III in London in 1985, the cost of which shot up from £29 million to £152 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Hospital Lewisham</span> Hospital in England

University Hospital Lewisham is a teaching hospital run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and serving the London Borough of Lewisham. It is now affiliated with King's College London and forms part of the King's Health Partners academic health science centre. It is situated on Lewisham High Street between Lewisham and Catford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Hospital</span> Hospital in Dorset, United Kingdom

Poole Hospital is an acute general hospital in Poole, Dorset, England. Built in 1907, it has expanded from a basic 14-bed facility into a 789-bed hospital. It is the trauma centre for east Dorset and provides specialist services such as cancer treatment for the entire county. It is managed by the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital was managed by Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust until the merger with The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on 1 October 2020.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is a large mental health trust and an NHS Foundation Trust. It runs services in Norfolk and Suffolk, England, chiefly at Hellesdon Hospital, Norvic and Julian Hospital in Norwich, Northgate in Great Yarmouth, and Carlton Court in Lowestoft

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust</span> NHS hospital trust

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was an NHS Trust that operated from 1991 until 2023, based in Whiston, Merseyside. The trust became part of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on 1 July 2023.

Healthcare in Cornwall was until July 2022 the responsibility of Kernow clinical commissioning group, until it got replaced by Integrated care system, as a result of the Health and Care Act 2022. As far as the NHS is concerned, Cornwall includes the Isles of Scilly.

References

  1. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital". cqc.org.uk.
  2. ↑ "Press Release Archive - UEA". comm.uea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 19 September 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  3. ↑ Blair to take welfare message on tour, BBC News
  4. 1 2 3 "Private Finance Initiative – Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
  5. ↑ Norfolk hospital gets new chief, BBC News
  6. ↑ "Better Public Building Award finalists, 2002". Archived from the original on 18 December 2007.
  7. ↑ "A&E department redesign 'cuts aggression by half'". Design Week. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Gretton, Adam. "Photo gallery: Royal visitor opens new cancer treatment centre at N&N".
  9. ↑ The Independent , 12 November 2004, 'The unacceptable face of capitalism' [ dead link ]
  10. ↑ George Monbiot, 9 May 2006, The Guardian , An Easter Egg Hunt
  11. ↑ "Richard Bacon". Archived from the original on 4 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2007.
  13. ↑ "Audit Commission - GOV.UK". audit-commission.gov.uk.
  14. ↑ The Independent , 3 May 2006, Consortium condemned over pounds 100m windfall profit from NHS
  15. ↑ Gilligan, Andrew (27 January 2011). "David Metter: Skiing in the Alps, the King of the PFIs who owns 28 hospitals and a motorway". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile killing record numbers of patients, The Telegraph, 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  17. ↑ Babies infected in neonatal unit, BBC News, 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  18. ↑ Hospital put on alert as ambulances stack up, The Guardian, 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  19. ↑ Norovirus outbreak at Norwich hospital Archived 19 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Eastern Daily Press, 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  20. ↑ Norfolk and Norwich Hospital told to improve elderly patients’ nutrition, Eastern Daily Press 2, 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2011-06-31.
  21. ↑ "Care Quality Commission, Dignity and nutrition for older people – Review of compliance". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011.
  22. ↑ Gretton, Adam. "Graphic: Praise after three Norfolk hospitals pass two years as MRSA free".
  23. ↑ "Doctors told to use 'least unsafe' option in Norwich hospital". The Guardian . 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  24. ↑ Norwich Evening News, p6, 15 September 1998
  25. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Keys to new hospital handed over". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  26. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Prime Minister visits NNUH". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  27. ↑ "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Loyd Grossman goes on the wards". news.bbc.co.uk. 6 December 2002.
  28. 1 2 "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Harry Potter star's hygiene message". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  29. ↑ "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Norfolk - New cancer centre opened". news.bbc.co.uk. 3 September 2003.
  30. ↑ "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Norfolk - Queen to open new hospital". news.bbc.co.uk. 17 December 2003.
  31. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Royal College Praises Emergency Assessment Unit". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  32. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Health minister to visit NNUH". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  33. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Official opening of the Norwich Radiology Academy". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  34. ↑ "Department of Health".
  35. ↑ "Nurses' fury at threat to jobs" (PDF). Evening News. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  36. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Esther Rantzen welcomes new care plan for terminally ill". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  37. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Hospital staff star in TV series Kingdom". nnuh.nhs.uk.
  38. ↑ "Eastern Daily Press". Archived from the original on 12 November 2007.
  39. ↑ "Norwich Evening News".
  40. ↑ "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust » Bishop of Thetford to visit renal patients at NNUH". nnuh.nhs.uk.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.