There are many successful initiatives and projects across NHS Lanarkshire which are making a massive difference to patients’ lives and one such success story is the Centre of Excellence for Urology.
Recently our Chair, Martin Hill, Board Vice Chair, Ally Boyle, and the director of acute service, Russell Coulthard, visited the team at University Hospital Monklands to hear about the development of a urology hub which will offer a one stop service for urology patients.
The teams vision to create a single point of access for patients, a “one-stop shop” that reduces waiting times and improves outcomes for those accessing urology services is a reality.
The team are already offering faster diagnosis, reduced outpatient waits, more face to face appointments and better patient information, despite an 80% increase in referral numbers since 2020.
The Chair, Martin Hill, was extremely encouraged to hear about the team’s success, the transformational approaches that have already been actioned and the further plans that will ensure tangible improvements to the patient experience.
Martin added: “What this team has achieved by taking steps to change the way care and treatment is delivered to urology patients is remarkable. I am incredibly impressed with the team’s relentless drive and determination to deliver real change that not only benefits the patient but also the staff.
Ally Boyle, Vice Chair has experience of cancer services having been diagnosed with a blood cancer in 2008. He is a keen advocate of partnership working and is a Trustee for Blood Cancer UK and Chairs a Patient Involvement Panel for Cancer Research UK
Ally was delighted to hear about the close connection the team have with Prostate Cancer UK and Prostate Cancer Scotland. He explained: “I was really struck by the team’s focus on improving the experience of patients alongside the system. Patient Involvement plays such an important part of this so I was delighted to hear of the fantastic relationship that has been fostered between NHS Lanarkshire and the third sector.”
Russell Coulthard, director of acute services, said: “The implementation of innovative care pathways, including Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT), has already had a significant impact.
“The team’s dedication to improving patient care has resulted in enhanced access to urology services since the hub was launched.
“Their commitment to improving cancer care has resulted in the team achieving the highest cancer performance of any mainland health board which is no mean feat.”
Pic: Martin Hill (left) and Ally Boyle (right) are shown round the hub by Sarah Reid, Urology Consultant
