HAMPSHIRE Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has acknowledged that demand is "higher than expected" as it detailed a new winter plan to ensure that there is "clear planning and mitigation" in place.

The plan is in place from November 2024 to the end of March 2025 and identifies the plans and projects that are underway or have been implemented since the last winter period, to ensure the organisation is "safe and responsive" during the winter.

A total of £639,317 will be spent on the winter plan including £398,317 on the medicine sector, £82,000 on surgery and £159,000 on the corporate sector.

HHFT said it has experienced challenges with meeting key performance indicators, despite "substantial work and effort directed towards supporting flow" through the organisation.

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In a board of directors meeting held on November 28, objectives for winter were detailed and it acknowledged that demand is running "higher than expected" across Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) pathways.

HHFT reinvigorated its UEC programme during the summer to ensure that projects are "focused on attendance avoidance," to reduce overcrowding in the emergency departments, and admission avoidance to reduce the demand on beds.

The plan identified several risks which are "very similar to those experienced for the last few years."

It explained that there is an increase in the "volume, acuity, and level of complexity of patients admitted from the emergency department (ED). 

"This invariably leads to an increase in length of stay and reduces overall capacity. There has been an increase in mental health presentations, and some of these patients remain in our EDs or on downstream wards for long periods, due to the capacity issues experienced within mental health trusts."

In terms of additional bed capacity over the winter, "there will be opportunity to support additional bed capacity for medical outliers, particularly over the weekend and where possible on days where the elective/day case programme is planned to be running light at Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH)."