I have paused blogging over the past few weeks in line with national guidance aimed at protecting the integrity of local elections, which applies to most publicly funded organisations and aims to make sure voters aren’t influenced by anything I say.
This is now part of the rhythm of the year as local elections usually roll around on the first Thursday of May, but the clash with the end of the financial year in March means I can’t immediately share how we concluded the year, either in terms of the Trust’s operational performance or financial position.
My view is this is important for colleagues, partners and our patients and their families to know, so I will do that now. There is a lot to catch up on, but I will say first that I am beyond proud that so much of it is really very positive indeed.
At the top of that list is that the Trust has exited the national Recovery Support Programme (RSP) we entered last February when we faced the most challenging financial position in our history and were spending millions more than we had.
A year later at the end of March – following a tough and relentless programme of reducing costs while continuing to prioritise delivery of safe and high-quality services – we have landed our financial plan. It remains subject to final audit from an independent team, but the headlines include delivery of the biggest waste reduction programme (WRP) the Trust has ever achieved, with more than £43million saved across the organisation.
This seems such a small paragraph when you consider the efforts of so many colleagues each and every day to achieve it. Nevertheless, it is brilliant news and a testament to incredible hard work and dedication from every person in every setting and team.
A source of immense pride for me is that, at the same time, the Trust has continued to deliver – and improve – strong operational performance. It is this that will have made the most impact and difference to patients and their families. It includes:
- Reducing our waiting list by nearly 20,000 people which is an 18.5 per cent reduction and the largest improvement in the region
- Cutting the number of patients waiting over a year for treatment from 4,228 in April 2025 to 340 by March 2026
- Consistently ranking in the top five nationally for theatre productivity by making the best use of our facilities and teams in both Blackburn and Burnley
- Moving up to 78th place out of 134 in the National Oversight Framework league table, with the highest possible rating for patient safety
- Remaining among the best in the country for seeing patients within four hours in urgent and emergency care, including at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
- Making significant progress in admitting patients within 12 hours of the decision to admit - driven by our commitment to eliminate corridor care and the hard work of teams across the integrated Trust
This has been achieved despite ongoing and sustained pressure and demand in urgent and emergency care at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital which requires every single person in the Trust, from all hospital, community and corporate teams, to manage it effectively.
Data demonstrates that the Trust continues to receive the most emergency ambulances in the North West and has one of the busiest A&E departments in England, seeing an average of 60 more patients each day now that last year.
In 2025-26, more than any other year, this has resulted in patients being cared for on corridors. We have pledged to eradicate this and everyone in the Trust and the wider health and social care system in Lancashire continues to work together to achieve it. As a result, the Trust has already delivered:
- An increase in the use of virtual wards, with an extra 20 people being referred each day
- An eight per cent increase in patients being discharged at weekend
- An average reduction in the length of stay of patients of half a day
- A reduction in the prevalence in corridor care – including a 131 hour period when we had no patients at all on any corridor of the Trust
Exiting RSP in around a year is quite unheard of in NHS circles and is a reflection of how far we have come and how much we have done in a very short space of time.
I was pleased to receive a formal letter from Louise Shepherd, the regional director of NHS England in the North West, this week which said: “I would like to recognise the substantial and sustained progress the Trust has made over the past 12 months. The regional review confirms clear improvements in leadership, governance and financial stewardship whilst maintaining high standards in quality and access to care.
“While there is much more to do to continue improving services for your patients, I hope you will feel able to take a moment to acknowledge the improvement. Thank you for all the hard work that you and your teams have contributed to improve the care for the people of East Lancashire in a sustainable way.”
I shared this with the Trust Board on Wednesday and it was very positively received as assurance of sustained improvements which matter to local people. Members asked me to share their thanks with all colleagues for their hard work and dedication. The Trust’s Chair Professor Mike Thomas said: “Everyone in the Trust has delivered and it stands us in great stead for the future. I want to express deep thanks to all. It’s been a tough and very challenging year, but this is a huge achievement.”
To his last point, supporting the health and wellbeing of colleagues and improving their experience of working at the Trust is a major priority this year – and I’ll be coming back to it regularly in weeks to come. If successful in our plans, improvements will impact on colleagues but also on patient experience too.
As an example, the Trust Board heard a patient story at the beginning of the meeting which centred on a patient who had received care from our therapy services, after a long and difficult journey through various pathways before. The group remarked on the courage and bravery of this patient to share her experience openly, so that we could understand the impact it had on her.
As always, it was deeply moving as she described how physiotherapist and clinical team leader Sally Hooper cared not just for her but for her partner too. “This had never happened before. I was treated like a human being and to go into a room where somebody is warm towards you, makes you feel so much better. I had never experienced such general niceness. If I could change anything it would be to just thank her again for changing my life.”
It is moments like this that I am grateful to be part of the Trust team and remember that, in amongst the performance data and the spreadsheets keeping us on track operationally and financially, there are people – colleagues and patients alike.
I hope everything I have shared makes it easy to understand the Trust’s aims for this year, which are very firmly focused on:
- Eradicating corridor care, even in moments of highest demand
- Improving the experience for patients and colleagues equally
- Ensuring we deliver a balanced budget
It’s going to take innovation, transformation and collaboration with so many people to achieve, with a relentless focus on quality and safety and a lot of energy and expertise, but we’ll be continuing the great work we’ve already delivered this year and I am confident that we can do it again.
Moreover, remembering who we are as a team through compassion and civility for both patients and colleagues will always provide the best platform to succeed. The warmth of ELHT is one of its greatest strengths, please do continue to utilise kindness for the benefit of all.
Well done team. I am so proud of you all – we go again for 2026-27 and I, for one, am excited for what’s to come.
Martin