The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Atrumed is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.
Atrumed
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
40 | ATRUMED
Chief Executive Laween
Al-Atroshi
Working as a close team is
our recipe for success
Atrumed run the on-site emergency GP clinic at the Luton
and Dunstable University Hospital. Atrumed’s speed and
efficiency in dealing with patients enables Luton and
Dunstable to boast the best-performing A&E in the UK, with
40 per cent of the A&E activity that comes through the hospital
then reverted to Atrumed’s clinic. Chief Executive Laween Al-
Atroshi discusses how their services are helping to change how
healthcare is delivered.
We are one of the secrets behind the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital A&E
service, the best-performing A&E in the UK. Our on-site urgent GP clinic helps
ensure the quality of their efficient service, which is able to deal with 98.6 per
cent of patients within four hours, while the national average is just 90 per cent.
We treat 40 per cent of the patients who enter A&E, most of whom do not need
hospital treatment.
We are keen to engage with NHS and healthcare organisations to deliver efficient,
safe and value-for-money care while maintaining quality and innovation.
Streamlined process
The Luton and Dunstable urgent GP service was managed by another provider,
which went into liquidation and had challenges such as cessation of streaming,
but since Atrumed started managing the service in 2017, we have been able
to streamline a lot of the work. We work as a subcontractor to the hospital,
providing a far safer and more robust process than the previous management. Our
safety standards are ranked nationally and are delivered by our experienced staff.
FACTS ABOUT
ATRUMED
»Chief Executive:
Laween Al-Atroshi
»Founded in 2017
»Based in Luton
»Services: Runs the on-site
emergency GP clinic at
the Luton and Dunstable
University Hospital
Atrumed
41ATRUMED |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
Atrumed is working to get ISO certified
9001:20015 which will be in place by
February 2019.
We have over 70 GPs on our books
who work on a long-term rotational
basis, alongside full-time GPs. The
staff body has a wide skill set, and
we also employ advanced nurses
and healthcare assistants. As a team
they provide consistent quality care
between the hours of 8am and
midnight (16 hours), 365 days a year.
We plan to see our good practice
replicated by other NHS trusts and
we are happy for them to utilise
our experience and expertise when
establishing their service. Through
building partnerships with other urgent
GP services, we will be able to expand
our operations and services, while
sharing quality, streamlined urgent GP
care with patients across the UK.
Assisting the NHS
The NHS is under a lot of pressure as
a result of reduced funding, so our
main purpose is to reduce their burden
as best we can. A&E services are at
full capacity around the UK and there
is a dearth of qualified staff to treat
patients. To reduce the strain on the
NHS and the A&E services, we have
produced educational resources that
aim to help people understand the
purpose of A&E and present them with
alternative modes of receiving medical
attention without clogging waiting
rooms. If we can offer the public
greater information on how to treat
injuries and illness at home, or redirect
them to online services, the strain on
the NHS can be reduced.
Regardless of who the provider of the
care is, there needs to be increased
funding for core services from the
government. Service in the UK needs
to be more readily available, and
to meet that need we need to see
collaboration between the public
and private sectors. Our provision
Not afraid to share best
practice
We are one of
the secrets
behind the
Luton and
Dunstable
University
Hospital A&E
service, the best-
performing A&E
in the UK
“
“
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
42 | ATRUMED
should be seen as a good news story
for the private healthcare sector,
because we have been able to provide
a vital service for an overstretched
public sector department seamlessly.
Any revenue generated is invested
back into the staff and service. This
is benefiting the hospital and the
patients, which should be celebrated.
Building for a better future
Atrumed has a genuine family
environment, which is welcoming for
staff and patients alike. Despite working
with GPs on a rotational basis, they
have bought into our approach and
service quickly, and have provided vital
services to our patients. Everything we
earn is reinvested into our service and
patient care and we have ambitions to
be at the forefront of the industry in
terms of research and innovation.
Moving forward, we hope to expand
our service and create a new aspect to
our business. Currently, we believe that
there is not enough readily available
access to private blood tests, and as a
result we want to add this service as a
separate part of Atrumed.
The service will be called Atruchecks
and will enable patients to request
health screening tests and private
blood test profiles, so they can access
their health profile in detail at their
convenience. Tests can be booked
simply online and the test itself will
then be posted to patients with the
option of the blood to be drawn either
from our centre or from an established
network of private hospitals in the UK;
alternatively, they can opt to have a
nurse sent to theirhome.
Our service offers patients a choice
of private but affordable healthcare
screening, and we believe this model
will soon become national practice.
Healthcare is changing and evolving
at a rapid pace and we want to be
at the centre of this innovation, with
potential diversification into the beauty
and genomics sector.
Regardless of the direction our
expansion takes, we want to excel
and become the national model for
excellence. We have achieved this
by enabling Luton and Dunstable
to become the best A&E service in
the country, but we now hope to
build on this success and become
national leaders elsewhere. Funding
is tight, and we need to work within
our means, but because we operate
a quality-driven model, we reinvest
in quality service. We are built to
serve our patients and the Luton and
Dunstable University Hospital, and we
will continue to do so as we develop
our new services.
We are keen
to engage
with NHS and
healthcare
organisations
to deliver
efficient, safe
and value-for-
money care
while
maintaining
quality and
innovation
“
“
Engaging with
communities in our work