Ealing turns a corner
Miriam Harris is used to treating sick patients but the A&E consultant found Ealing Hospital in need of some resuscitation when she became its medical director two years ago.
The absence of an onsite clinical management team and uncertainty over the future role of the hospital had led to a slow decline in its performance.
Miriam said: “We weren’t in a good place which wasn’t a reflection on the staff so much as a lack of local clinical leadership. We now have a dedicated clinical management team at Ealing that understands the challenges and what needs to be done.
“It’s made a huge difference. We also have support from the dedicated Ealing leadership team providing operational and nursing support.”
It replaces the more remote, cross-site arrangement with its larger counterpart at Northwick Park.
Miriam added: “We’re making good progress, and this is reflected in the recruitment of new medical staff (Consultants and Residents) who want to come and work at Ealing. It’s nice to receive external validation.
“Investments such as the new clinical diagnostic centre (CDC) and achieving JAG accreditation for the endoscopy suite have demonstrated that the hospital will not be closing.
“It’s a joint effort with our non-clinical colleagues and we are already seeing the benefits which in turn, brings its own momentum.”
One of hospital’s biggest challenges was patients being admitted to wards based on available bed space rather than the most appropriate ward for treatment.
In response, the 30 bed Acute Medical Unit Unit (AMU) now receives most acute admissions for stabilisation prior to discharge or onward referral to specialty teams. “It’s better for patients and staff and we can safely and effectively discharge people without having to work across the whole hospital site.
“The leadership team is now making a difference tackling longstanding issues including education and training and an under-resourced medical take.
“The new medical model with consultant presence for 12 hours a day has been just introduced with seven-day-a-week cover of the AMU starting in May.
"We are extremely well supported by all of the divisions and would not have been able to achieve this without them.”
So, does Miriam still find time for clinical work beyond the desk?
“I keep my hand in one day a week. I go where I am needed which is nice even if I am the medical director. I also take part in the medical on call rota and am pleased to say I enjoyed my first 12 hour shift. ”
Ealing Hospital’s current clinical management team are: Medical Director Miriam Harris; Acute Medicine Clinical Lead Harman Singh; Medicine and Therapies CD Kate Senger; Medical Training and Education Lead Panos Drymousis; and Deputy DMD for Medicine and Therapies Pooja Dassan.
The hospital will also shortly be welcoming a deputy clinical director for General Surgery.’