The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Trust (QEH) is a medium sized, 500 bed, acute hospital providing general hospital services to West Norfolk, Breckland, North Cambridgeshire and East Lincolnshire. The main hospital is located on a 47 acre site, two miles from the centre of the market town of King’s Lynn and serves a population of around 250,000 people.
The QEH opened in 1980 and is a bespoke building on 2 floors with various outbuildings including a Day Surgery Unit, Roxburgh Children’s Centre, a modern GUM clinic, the BMI Sandringham Private Hospital and staff accommodation. The QEH is a teaching and training hospital and enjoys strong relationships with UEA Norwich and the University of Cambridge.
The QEH employs 2,400 staff including 169 doctors and consultants, 1022 nurse and midwives, 148 medical trainees, 166 allied health professionals, 192 healthcare scientists and 72 senior managers. The monthly staff pay bill is almost £7million and the QEH has an annual turnover of around £160 million a year.
The hospital provides a full range of acute services including A&E and all the major medical and surgical specialties, except for thoracic and neuro-surgery. There are busy paediatric and obstetric departments, recently expanded Critical Care and care of the elderly services and full facilities for both elective and emergency surgery. Additionally there are very busy outpatient clinics including ENT, ophthalmic, orthopaedics and a pioneering IVF partnership project.
Treatment of cancer patients is amongst the best in the country. The impressive onsite Macmillan Centre provides palliative care for patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses. The Day Surgery Unit was awarded ‘Charter Mark’ status for excellence of service and the Infection Control team is recognized internationally for its outstanding performance.
Recent investment saw the opening of an 8 bed Clinical Decisions Unit and completion of a permanent 27 bed modular ward. Significant refurbishment of A & E facilities is scheduled for 2010.
Statistics and Specialties
In 2008/09, the hospital admitted 63,860 inpatients and day surgery cases. They dealt with 254,000 outpatient attendances and 59,200 Accident and Emergency attendances – an average of 160 emergencies each day of the year.
Their consultant team is made up as follows:
- Accident and Emergency
- Anaesthetists
- Breast surgeons
- Cardiologists
- Care of the Elderly physicians
- Clinical haematologists
- Chemical pathologists
- Cytopathologists
- Dermatologists
- Ear Nose and Throat surgeons
- General physicians
- General surgeons
- Genito-urinary Physicians
- Histopathologists
- Maxillo Facial surgeons
- Microbiologists
- Neurologists
- Obstetricians and gynaecologists
- Occupational Health physicians
- Oncologists
- Ophthalmic surgeons
- Orthodontic surgeons
- Orthopaedic surgeons
- Paediatricians
- Radiologists
- Rheumatologists
- Urologists
In addition there is a renal dialysis unit which is an outreach unit of the nephrology service in Cambridge. Their oncology service is supplemented by additional facilities in Cambridge and Thoracic and Plastic surgery services are provided by the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital.
Key Strengths
Accident & Emergency: A&E attendances increased by 10% throughout 2008/09 and yet their performance for dealing with patients within four hours exceeded the Government’s target of 98%.
Day surgery: Their day surgery unit is consistently rated as one of the top ten in the country.
Cancer treatment: The cancer treatment ‘pathway’ enables patients from the area to be seen and treated promptly. Their Macmillan Centre is one of the most up to date in the East of England.
Infection Prevention and Control – The QEH has exceeded all Government targets year on year and is recognised as a beacon of good practice.
Patient Safety – Ranked 29th out of 146 hospitals nationally in 2009.
Maternity Care- Ranked best in East of England 2009.
Current priorities are:
- Achieving Foundation Trust status
- Maintaining and sustaining national targets for accessing services
- Maintaining financial balance
- Providing cancer services to standards required by national guidelines
- Developing and rewarding a committed workforce
- Promoting an environment for delivering modern clinical services
Staff Services
The QEH has an Occupational health department, subsidised staff restaurant, gym facilities, on site staff accommodation, and library facilities for students. Another advantage is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere which is much commented upon by staff and visitors alike. The QEH is renowned for its retention of staff and employees with more than 40 years service are not uncommon.
Intranet facilities allow for sharing of clinical information and best practice. A weekly e- newsletter is issued to staff keeping them up to date on all things QEH.
Catchment Area
The hospital’s catchment area covers a primarily rural area containing a number of market towns, namely King’s Lynn, Wisbech, Spalding, Downham Market, Swaffham, Fakenham and Hunstanton. They also provide a number of outreach services to the community hospitals in Wells, Swaffham and Wisbech and a medical centre in Littleport.
West Norfolk’s population has a relatively elderly age profile. Compared with England and Wales it has higher proportions of people aged 50-54 and over and lower proportions in the younger age groups, especially 20-29 year olds, though this is currently increasing. Around 30 per cent of the population (42,800) live in the built-up area of King’s Lynn, and 9 per cent in the market towns of Downham Market and Hunstanton. The population profile includes a high proportion of older residents, many of whom have retired to Norfolk coastal communities from elsewhere. The local population almost doubles during summer months with an influx of holidaymakers, second-home owners and seasonal agricultural workers.