Kidderminster Hospital's surgical hub gets top recognition

Young patients having operations at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre can be assured of shorter waits and high standards of care following the recognition that its surgical hub is meeting top clinical and operational standards. 

It has been announced this week that children's surgical procedures have been successfully accredited as part of NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 

Amrat Mahal, head of children's nursing at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The scheme assesses hubs against a framework of standards to help deliver faster access to some of the most common surgical procedures.

"It's fantastic that the hard work of the all of the teams involved has been recognised and our young patients, their parents and carers have the assurance that our paediatric surgical services are meeting the highest standards."

The accreditation follows several months of hard work compiling a portfolio of evidence and hosting a visit by a team of external expert reviewers who met a number of trust staff as well as young patients who had been cared for at Kidderminster, and their parents and carers.

The team are delighted to be recognised (Image: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust) Tracey Baldwin, Divisional Director of Nursing for specialised clinical services said: "The accreditation was a fantastic team effort that required a huge amount of evidence to be pulled together covering the whole patient journey and providing detail on all aspects of how we work together on elective care at Kidderminster. 

"So many people worked so hard on preparing the evidence and hosting the visits, and it is wonderful to see their efforts paying off."

Stephen Collman, Managing Director of the Trust, said: "Hubs bring together the skills and expertise of our dedicated staff under one roof, with protected facilities and theatres, helping to deliver shorter waits for surgery. Because they are separated from emergency services, their surgical beds can be kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.

"Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in the successful paediatric and adult surgical hub accreditations - it's great news for our colleagues and our patients."

Surgical hubs, which are separated from emergency services, are part of plans nationally to increase capacity for elective care with more dedicated operating theatres and beds.

They exclusively perform planned surgery and mainly focus on six specialities including ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.

Work is now underway to secure accreditation for the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch as an adult elective hub in 2025.

Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of GIRFT and NHS England’s National Director for clinical improvement and elective recovery, added: "We have been impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the hub teams who are delivering outstanding care.

"All of the sites we accredited are focused on delivering safe and high-quality care, and an excellent patient experience. GIRFT’s focus is on developing surgical hubs with the aim of improving patient flow so that patients have shorter waits for surgery and, for some procedures, will be more likely to be able to go home on the same day."