Wednesday, 6 July 2011
The Health Board is celebrating after its work to help orthopaedic patients recover from surgery quicker and return home sooner, scooped a prestigious NHS Wales Award.
The introduction of enhanced recovery after surgery won the Improving Quality Through Better Use of Resources category of the Awards which were announced in the All Nations Centre, Cardiff
The NHS Wales Awards are presented to organisations that have
showed innovation, best practice and achievement in healthcare to improve the care and services provided to patients across Wales
showed innovation, best practice and achievement in healthcare to improve the care and services provided to patients across Tony Smith, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said, “We are delighted to win an NHS Wales Award which is great recognition for all the hard work of the teams who have helped to implement enhanced recovery after surgery.
“The new ways of working are providing a much better service for orthopaedic patients in North Wales and enabling them to be out of bed and leading a normal life more quickly following surgery.
“We have also seen a decrease in complications following surgery and we are now planning to roll out enhanced recovery to other departments across the health board.”
Enhanced recovery after surgery was introduced in Wrexham Maelor Hospital
It’s designed to better prepare patients for surgery, which can lead to quicker recovery rates and patients being able to return home earlier with reduced complications.
The work brings together a range of improvements designed to improve the patient experience and clinical results, including better checks and assessments before surgery.
It also includes improved nutrition before, and after, surgery and encourages early movement post-surgery, as well as involving patients more closely in their care and treatment.
Staff at Wrexham Maelor underpinned the work with the development of a school for patients which taught them the principles of enhanced recovery.
The consistent message that the patient is not ill was delivered and patients were encouraged to expect a discharge of between one and three days.
The implementation of enhanced recovery has led to a reduction in the length of stay with patients leaving hospital after three days rather than six.
Evidence suggests rolling out the knee programme to all Consultants across BCULHB would save 2610 bed days alone.
Judging the award, Donna Mead, Dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan
“The programme has positively influenced patient care before, during and after joint replacement surgery with a view to being discharged in the shortest possible time.
“It has enabled patients to become actively engaged in their own care and is improving their experience.”
More than 130 entries were received to this year’s NHS Wales Awards and the judging panel had a tough task in deciding on the eventual winners of the six award categories.
NHS Wales
"The high quality of the entries is an impressive reflection of the professionalism of our staff and their commitment to safe, efficient and compassionate care.
“These are excellent examples of best practice which will be shared across Wales
The NHS Wales Awards were launched in 2008 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS.
National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH) Director Dr Alan Willson, who leads the NHS Wales Awards, said that the standard of the winning work demonstrates world class ambitions and achievements.
He said, “The NHS Wales Awards are a great opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate good practice that has helped to transform health care.
“The high standard of winning work from across Wales
“This is the fourth year that we have held these important Awards and it is inspiring to hear about yet more examples of excellent healthcare continuing to be developed and delivered right here in Wales.”