Published on: 2 February 2023
The NHS National Director of Transformation, Dr Tim Ferris, was in Worcestershire last month for a series of meetings with clinicians and ICS staff, as part of a fact-finding visit to Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS to understand the digital challenges and requirements of a rural ICS.
Dr Tim Ferris became the inaugural National Director of Transformation at NHS England in May 2021 and is internationally renowned for his pioneering work on improving health and care in both hospital and community settings. Tim trained in medicine and public health at Harvard University and became a professor at Harvard Medical School in 2018 and continues as an adjunct Professor. He leads the NHS Transformation Directorate to maintain the pace of operational improvement and digital innovation seen during the pandemic.
Dr Ferris started the day with a visit to Stourport Medical Centre to meet Dr Roy Williams, GP, PCN Clinical Director and ICB co GP IT Lead, and members of the practice team to get views on the ground from staff in primary care.
Next on Dr Ferris’s packed itinerary was a visit to The Co-Lab digital innovation hub at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre, where he was welcomed by Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, who discussed the culture of continuous improvement which puts patients first. Dr Ferris was also introduced to Will Taylor, the ICB Chief Medical Officer, and key members of clinical and digital staff, who demonstrated some of the digital technologies on display, such as a remote monitoring pod which is in use in rural areas of France.
The day concluded with a visit to the newly opened Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), which is also located at the Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre site, and which is designed to help manage backlogs in imaging tests that have developed following the pandemic.
Dr Ferris was greeted at the CDC by Dr Julian Berlet, Divisional Medical Director of the Specialised Clinical Services Division, and given a tour of the centre, which includes a brand-new CT scanner and an ultrasound room, which increase the capacity of the existing imaging facilities, to provide patients with faster access to diagnostic tests and earlier diagnoses.
Dr Tim Ferris said: “It’s been fascinating to visit Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS to further understand the challenges of delivering healthcare to rural communities and get more detailed insight of how services are being planned for this local population. It has been terrific to see so many engaged members of staff who are all committed to embracing innovation to transform the health and care of local people.”
