Worcestershire Anaesthetists receive top national accreditation

Anaesthetists at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been recognised for providing the highest quality care to their patients with a national accreditation from the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

The Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation is the Royal College of Anaesthetists’ scheme that reviews services which show a commitment to patient safety and maintaining the highest standards of anaesthetic care. To receive the prestigious accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate high standards in areas such as the patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was originally awarded the Royal College of Anaesthetists accreditation in 2018, with this reaccreditation demonstrating how the department has maintained the high standards reviewed in the Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA).

Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr Simon Garstang said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive our ACSA re-accreditation, building on the success of our original accreditation. The anaesthetic department, supported by management, has worked hard in conjunction with our operating theatres to ensure that our policies and procedures follow national guidance as reflected in the ACSA standards. Having national guidance distilled into a set of standards has helped to identify the occasional ‘unknown unknown’.

“The ACSA good practice library has been an excellent source of information, and we are extremely pleased to have been able to contribute to it and thereby assist other organisations in their ACSA journey. As a result of our reaccreditation our patients, as well as our existing and prospective members of staff, can be assured that our facilities and practices continue to stand up to scrutiny through peer review by colleagues from around the country on the ACSA review team.” 

ACSA lead reviewer, Dr Vishal Patil said: “Congratulations to the Anaesthetic department of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust on their ACSA reaccreditation by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. I was also a member of the initial accreditation review team in 2017 and was very pleased to note the continuation of various instances of exemplar practice notwithstanding the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of a countywide multi-site Trust. It is a very dynamic and resilient department, and the tenacity of the frontline staff in the pursuit of safe and high-quality care is to be commended.” 

ACSA lay reviewer, Ms Pauline Elliott said:  “It was a pleasure to be a member of the ACSA Review Team assessing the anaesthetic department at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Congratulations on achieving reaccreditation! Thank you for all your hard work preparing for the assessment and for your warm welcome to the hospitals in your Trust. I was especially pleased to witness your clear focus on standards of patient care, patient safety and patient experience. The development and delivery of your excellent preoperative assessment service demonstrated this. Well done!”

Dr Sri Gummaraju, Royal College of Anaesthetists Council Member said: “I would like to offer my personal congratulations to the entire anaesthetic department on achieving ACSA accreditation. It is very impressive to see the commitment and approach of the whole department to sustaining their standards. They have demonstrated their ability and passion for providing the best possible care for their patients.

“The quality improvement demonstrated during the accreditation process has helped the department manage the immense tasks presented to them by COVID-19 and the resumption of normal services. It was impressive to see the innovative practices taking place at the hospital, and the excellent commitment from all staff during the process. As well as meeting the standards, the department demonstrated many areas of excellent advanced practice that have now been highlighted for sharing through the ACSA network.”