Two wards at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) are taking strides towards improved patient care by cutting discharge times and improving the experience for patients.
Ward 29 at the Glenfield Hospital (GH) and ward 14 at the Leicester General Hospital (LGH) have both achieved ‘Good’ ratings as part of the Leicester Excellence Accreditation Framework (LEAF) programme. The LEAF programme is a UHL accreditation that combines continuous improvement methods and real-time, data-driven insights to assess performance, enhance patient care, and celebrate success.
Sue Burton, Deputy Chief Nurse, who presented the accreditation to the teams, said:
“This is a fantastic example of how strong multi-disciplinary working can make a real difference to patient flow and experience. The teams have used data intelligently, engaged the right people, and focused on practical changes that will have a lasting impact.
“Achieving ’Good’ accreditation is a significant accomplishment—well done to everyone involved.”
The ward 29 project team—Bhavisha Mistry, Deputy Ward Leader; Simmy Thomas, Ward Leader; and Lauren Taylor, Staff Nurse—focused on speeding up patient discharge, with the aim of increasing the number of patients discharged before midday.
At the start of the project, only 4.3% of patients were discharged before noon. The team set a clear goal to increase this to 10% by December 2025, supporting improved patient flow, bed availability, and overall patient experience.
Using data from the LEAF dashboard and quality improvement (QI) tools, the team developed a clear understanding of where delays occur and where improvement efforts should be focused, identifying the cause of delays in early discharge.
Ward 14 at LGH is an elective orthopaedic ward that began its LEAF journey in January 2025, with Victoria O’Sullivan, Ward Leader; Yvonne Kenmuir-Hogg, Matron; and Hannah Molyneaux, Physiotherapist, attending LEAF study sessions and working QI into their daily practice.
The team used their LEAF dashboard to identify areas for improvement and drive a data-led approach to change. Using a full multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach, they identified key challenges including communication gaps, lack of prioritisation systems, and delays in transport and documentation.
Their QI project focused on improving pre-midday discharges – an area identified through the LEAF dashboard. The team was performing at 4% and set a target to increase this to 10%, recognising the wider impact timely discharge has on patient flow, bed availability, and overall patient experience.
Emma Barnett, LEAF Facilitator, said: “Both ward teams have embraced LEAF with real commitment, driving meaningful improvements through strong multi-disciplinary teamwork and a clear focus on patient care. It has been fantastic to see the progress the teams have made.”