North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Who we are
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust was authorised as an NHS Foundation Trust in December 2007. The Trust was originally formed on 1 April 1999, when North Tees Health NHS Trust and Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust merged. We are an integrated hospital and community health and care organisation, serving over 400,000 people in Hartlepool, Stockton and parts of County Durham.
We are on a continuous journey of improvement as an organisation with a dedication to ‘excellence as our standard’ in all that we deliver for our patients, the communities we support and our staff.
We provide a wide range of health and care services across and beyond our geographical catchment area. Our hospital sites are:
- University Hospital of Hartlepool
- University Hospital of North Tees
We are responsible for the provision of breast diagnostic services across Stockton, Hartlepool, parts of County Durham, Middlesbrough, Redcar and East Cleveland.
Our Trust is also responsible for the provision of the NHS bowel screening service for men and women across the entire Tees Valley, parts of County Durham and North Yorkshire.
Since 2008 we have delivered care for patients in the community, delivering services across multiple sites including Peterlee Community Hospital, Lawson Street Health Centre in Stockton and One Life Hartlepool – the first of the ambitious integrated care centres to be created under the Momentum: pathways to healthcare programme.
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust is an ‘anchor’ organisation across the Stockton and Hartlepool localities, working closely with our key partners to facilitate and drive a more aspirant outlook for the population we serve.
Our Trust is internationally renowned and we are a research active organisation, becoming the first trust in the UK to use the REGN-COV2 in the treatment of COVID-19, as part of the national RECOVERY trial, working with some of the most high profile health organisations in the world.
Our journey so far
We are an ambitious Trust, dedicated to developing an integrated health and care service in collaboration with key partners at local, regional and national level. With the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan at the heart of our strategy, we are fully committed to partnership working, both within the NHS and with our wider community, for a more aspirant outlook for our region.
Our ambition as an organisation is to continue to build upon our transformational work to date. Notably, we are one of the highest performing Trusts in the country for a number of our pathways.
The Trust has worked to dedicate to a strong financial performance over a number of years, working to ensure that the very best value for our patients, and our staff is our priority. We believe that through continued collaborative working, with the guidance of our integrated care board (ICB), we can support an ambitious, sustainable health and care landscape for our communities.
Our ambitious discharge work working with our digital partner Optica, was included in the 2023/24 winter plans as an exemplar model to be rolled our across the NHS.
Our post COVID journey to recovery has been one that has presented both challenge and opportunity. Our ambitions for our patients, against a back drop of health inequalities has never wavered and continue to innovate and evolve to deliver the best care, in the right place at the right time.
This was highlighted with the department for health and social care and the government embarking upon a number of discussions with our clinical and leadership teams about our virtual wards programme.
Our estate footprint presents one of our most significant challenges. Our hospital sites date back to the 1960’s and need to change to tackle the challenges of our local population.
Our vision involves a revolution in health and care delivery including health on the high street, diagnostic hubs, investment in out-of-hospital services, admission avoidance, streamlining pathways, efficiency in clinical co-adjacencies, collaborative efficiencies with partners, centres of excellence within our communities, integrated care and – perhaps most importantly – a clinical estate which is purposed to act as an enabler for positive transformation.
The pandemic has highlighted the challenges we face, but we are confident that with the right investment, alongside our award-winning clinicians and wider workforce, we can provide a health and care service which reflects a move to aspirant population health.
We have a strong starting point, and can only envisage growth for the future.
Our staff are some of the most celebrated in the NHS, and we have pledged to future proof them and ensure that they emerge from the challenges of the last year.
Our health and wellbeing strategies are invested in resilience and recovery, and we continuously review the ways in which we enable our teams to share both their experiences and their learning.
The future of health and care provision for our region is rooted in collaboration, system working and partnerships. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust demonstrates a track record of all of these ambitions in our ability to innovate and employ evolutionary new and impactful pathways to support our patients.
Our direction
We will continue to focus on the key areas of delivery to measure our success, whilst looking to the future and exploring how we can improve what we do, and how we operate as a successful NHS Foundation Trust, and as part of our hospital group.
As a progressive and forward thinking trust we dedicate to ensuring that our strategic direction, and the decisions we take to inform our future direction, are based on sound, practical evidence not only from within the Trust but from other external sources such as strategic partners and clinical and non-clinical stakeholders.
We continue to align our supporting plans that have helped to influence and shape our direction.
Our vision
We are committed to providing the very best care to our patients whether they are being treated in our hospitals or in the community.
Healthcare is a people business, we therefore place great emphasis on patients, public and staff, who are all key to what we do. However, we know that just doing what we’ve always done will not meet the needs of the population we serve. Our opportunity as a group is key for our future success and ambitions.
We all need to better manage the health of the population so that in 20-30 years’ time our communities will be healthier, fitter and less reliant on hospital services in the future. To achieve our vision, we have dedicated to:
- Focus on groups in society
- Deliver interventions across an integrated health and care system
- Manage the health of our population better
- Demonstrate strong and effective collaboration and trust
- Improve and integrate our services
- Deliver services that are clinically effective, high quality and safe
- Promote innovation and inclusivity
- Maintain financial stability
- We will provide the best healthcare for everyone in our population.
Our values
We place great pride in the values that our staff uphold; whether they be clinical or non-clinical. Our values are:
- Collaboration
- Aspirational
- Respect
- Empathy
Our pledge
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust is committed to supporting the physical and mental health and well-being of the local population, including our staff – supporting mind and body together. The Trust pledges to raise awareness of – and promote positive attitudes – towards mental health and challenge any stigma around mental health issues, and to provide a workplace in which staff can come together.
The Trust will:
- Provide information and raise awareness of mental well-being
- Provide opportunities for employees to look after their mental well-being
- Develop skills in managers to promote the mental well-being of staff and recognise and deal effectively with mental health issues and stress
- Ensure inclusion and opportunity for all