Ahead of International Women’s Day, NHS England South East’s Chief  Nurse Andrea Lewis has praised the improvements made to Royal Berkshire’s Hysteroscopy outpatients service, celebrating the service led by women, for women.

The nursing-led team at Royal Berkshire Hospital is working to transform patient care and improve efficiency in the South East, meaning more women can access crucial care and gynaecological procedures.

Led by Lisa Evans, Lead Nurse, Gynaecology and Claire Mcintyre, Outpatient Sister on Sonning Ward at Royal Berkshire, the team has made a raft of improvements meaning more patients can be seen and receive care, with reduced pain scores and a better patient experience.

Confronted with an increasing patient load and fully booked clinic days, the team addressed the challenge through a Rapid Process Improvement Week (RPIW). This initiative aimed to fit an additional patient into the daily clinic schedule without compromising on care quality.

Nurses, consultants, admin, and IT teams came together to enhance pre-appointment communication and paperwork, ensuring patients received all the important information before their procedures.

This change allowed the team to focus more on the procedures and aftercare, reducing appointment durations from 37 minutes to 24 minutes, (including the procedure), and enabling the clinic to see more patients daily. One extra patient seen per day, over four clinics a week is the equivalent of 168 additional patients receiving treatment and support – improving access and waiting times with no extra staffing costs required.

An important improvement was the introduction of pre-appointment phone calls. These calls addressed patient questions and concerns, reduced missed appointments, and ensured patients were on the correct pathway. Patients who required general anaesthetic were redirected appropriately, freeing up slots for other patients.

Patient feedback has been positive, with many appreciating the pre-appointment information and phone calls. Additionally, patients reported experiencing less pain post-procedure. Due to these successes, the hospital plans to roll out the Rapid Process Improvement Week approach across other services to further enhance patient care and efficiency in the South East region.

The learnings and improvements made at Royal Berkshire will also be shared across the wider region, with South East improvement leads Cathy Wybrow and Tyrone Blackford-Swaries visiting Royal Berkshire with a team from Frimley Health to hear about the improvements and meet the team running the service.

Andrea Lewis, Chief Nurse for the NHS in the South East, said:

“The impressive improvements made by the Royal Berkshire Hospital’s Hysteroscopy outpatients service exemplify our commitment to providing the highest quality of care for our patients.

“By implementing innovative approaches like the Rapid Process Improvement Week, the team has not only enhanced efficiency but also significantly improved patient experiences and outcomes.

“We are committed to ensuring that women receive access to the care they need and have a positive experience of healthcare, and this is one of many examples where we are delivering for women.”

Lisa Evans, Lead Nurse, Gynaecology at Royal Berkshire Hospital, added:

“We are thrilled with the positive impact our improvements have had on patient care and efficiency within the Hysteroscopy outpatients service. By streamlining pre-appointment communication and introducing proactive phone calls, we have not only reduced appointment times but also enhanced the overall patient experience. Our patients’ feedback has been incredibly encouraging, and we are excited to see these initiatives rolled out across other services within the trust.”