Path to Excellence
The Path to Excellence is five-year healthcare transformation programme across South Tyneside and Sunderland which has been set up to secure the future of local NHS services and to identify new and innovative ways of delivering high quality, joined-up, sustainable care that will benefit the population both now and in the future.

Patient transport
Our engagement team at Healthwatch Sunderland have received feedback from members of the public regarding the difficulties they are encountering accessing services at South Tyneside District Hospital.
We shared these stories with the Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Click on the links below to read the correspondence we sent and the reply we have received.
Download the reply from the CCG 12.03.2020 Download the Hospital Travel leaflet
Download our letter to the CCG - 06.02.2020 Download the patient stories
Response from South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group
We have now received a reply from South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foudation Trust and NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group to our feedback of 1st May 2019 and 16th May 2019.
Path to Excellence (PtE) Phase 2 Feedback Evaluation Events April and May 2019
This response is based on attendance at a series of evaluation events held by the PtE programme and analysis of the contents of the resource pack document from a patient, carer and family viewpoint. It incorporates general public feedback from engagement work undertaken by Healthwatch Sunderland on behalf of the programme during March 2019.
Path to Excellence (PtE) phase 2 feedback
During March 2019, Healthwatch Sunderland (HWS) delivered three focus groups and nine information stalls in support of PtE phase 2 engagement.
The following is provided by HWS to inform future engagement and consultation activity between the PtE programme and the public, and outlines the key themes from the engagement activity.
Phase Two working ideas
This section is now for historical information only
Phase Two of the Path to Excellence involves the following areas of hospital care:
- Emergency care and acute medicine
- Emergency surgery and planned operations
- Planned care and outpatients
- Clinical support services (tests, scans, therapies and pharmacy)
Working together we need to address four major challenges:
- Workforce pressures
- Rising demand for services
- Improving quality to meet clinical standards
- Finance pressures
The Path to Excellence have some working ideas about how to solve these challenges, but need help from the public to refine these further to help to influence potential solutions, which will be part of a full public consultation later in 2019.
In order to complete the survey you will firstly need to read the information on all three ideas (miniman, some and greater change) by clicking the buttons below.
Minimal change Some change Greater change
Click here to complete the short survey!
First phase of Path to Excellence public consultation concludes
NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Sunderland CCG, the two bodies responsible for the commissioning of local health services, have decided the future of three areas of acute hospital care in South Tyneside and Sunderland as part of the Path to Excellence consultation.
CCGs extraordinary meeting in common
An extraordinary meeting in common of the two statutory NHS organisations took place on Wednesday 21st February 2018, 2pm to 4pm, Hebburn Central, Glen Street, Hebburn, NE31 1AB.
The governing body members, who are made up from senior GPs, doctors, nurses health professionals and lay members with expertise, have responsibility for making decisions about ensuring that local NHS services are safe and of a high quality for local people.
The two CCGs came to decisions based on their review and consideration of all the clinical evidence and feedback from a process of public consultation over the past year.
Links to a recording of the live broadcast is available via YouTube.
Read more about the Path to Excellence on the NHS South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Parnership Path to Excellence website
Update on the Path to Excellence and decision-making meeting in common – February 2018
Clinical commissioning groups hold extra ordinary meeting in common to decide the future of hospital services from the Path to Excellence consultation
NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Sunderland CCG, the two bodies responsible for the commissioning of local health services, are to decide the future of three areas of acute hospital care in South Tyneside and Sunderland as part of the Path to Excellence consultation.
The areas of care under consultation are:
- Stroke care services
- Maternity (obstetrics) and women's healthcare (inpatient gynaecology) services; and
- Children and young peoples (urgent and emergency paediatrics) services.
An extraordinary meeting in common of the two statutory NHS organisations will take place on:
Wednesday 21st February, 2pm to 4pm, Hebburn Central, Glen Street, Hebburn, NE31 1AB.
Read more on the NHS South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Partnership Path to Excellence website
Path to Excellence - Next round of consultation events
The next round of events running from September 2017 to October 2017 for the major NHS public consultation have now been announced. To see the event timetable and register for your place, go to the NHS South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Partnership Path to Excellence website and follow the links on the individual events.
The Path to Excellence, the public consultation
A consultation to gather public views around the different ways stroke, maternity (obstetrics), women's services (gynaecology) and children and young people's urgent and emergency (paediatrics) NHS services could be arranged in South Tyneside and Sunderland will start in July 2017.
Called 'The Path to Excellence', the public consultation will run until Sunday 15th October, and will focus particularly on areas of hospital care which are delivered at South Tyneside General Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital including:
- Stroke services specifically hospital (acute) care and hospital-based rehabilitation services
- Maternity services (obstetrics) covering hospital-based birthing facilities i.e. where you would give birth to your baby
- Women's services (gynaecology) covering inpatient surgery where you would need an overnight hospital stay
- Children and young people's (paediatrics urgent and emergency) services and special care baby units.