Regional report highlights progress in ENT care

A new NHS England report has celebrated the progress being made to improve Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services across the North East and Yorkshire. It also recognises the contribution of several members of the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) ENT Clinical Alliance.

ENT is one of the busiest services in the NHS and has faced some of the biggest waiting time challenges in recent years. The regional programme brought together clinicians, managers, commissioners and other healthcare professionals to improve care and reduce waits for patients.

The report shows that good progress has been made. Over the last year, the percentage of patients receiving ENT care within 18 weeks increased from 54.1% to 60.6%. The number of patients receiving a first appointment within 18 weeks also rose from 58.4% to 67.2%. At the same time, the number of people waiting more than 52 weeks for care fell significantly.

Many of the improvements have come from organisations working together to share ideas and test new ways of delivering care. These include better use of triage, Advice and Guidance services, Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) and community-based care closer to home.

The report highlights examples of innovation from across the region. South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was recognised for its work with primary care colleagues to improve the management of common ENT conditions. Newcastle Hospitals was highlighted for introducing dedicated children's theatre lists to help reduce treatment waits. County Durham and Darlington's direct access hearing aid clinics, along with South Tees' nurse-led hearing loss and physiotherapy-led dizziness pathways, were also recognised for helping patients access care more quickly while reducing the number of unnecessary appointments.

Several members of the NENC ENT Clinical Alliance were also acknowledged for their support and leadership during the programme. This included Anirvan Banerjee, Chair of the NENC ENT Clinical Alliance, and Charlotte Herron, who provides programme support for the Alliance as part of the NENC Elective Care Portfolio. Their contribution reflects the important role that clinical networks and provider collaboratives play in improving services and sharing best practice across the region.

The report concludes that the region has built strong foundations for future improvement. The next step will be to continue reducing variation between services, spread successful ideas and develop more community-based models of care, helping patients access high-quality ENT services more quickly and closer to home.

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