‘Hip hip hooray’: St Helier Hospital shines in national hip fracture report
Elderly patients who are admitted to St Helier Hospital with a fractured hip are receiving some of the best care in the country, according to a new national report.
For the fourth year in a row, St Helier Hospital has exceeded many national averages in the annual National Hip Fracture Database report, which measures 180 hospitals across the country against a number of key clinical standards and best practices.
The report showed that St Helier was the second busiest hospital in London for hip fractures, having admitted 431 patients for treatment in the last year. Despite such high numbers of patients, our Hip Fracture Unit was the best performing hospital in London for the Department of Health’s Best Practice Tariff for excellence in hip fracture care – a measurement that takes into account seven different standards in hip fracture care.
Dr Nivi Singh, consultant orthogeriatrician at the hospital, is a senior member of the medical team which looks after all older patients with a hip fracture. She said: “I am absolutely thrilled with our performance. The results are a reflection of the absolute dedication and determination of the entire hip fracture team to ensure we deliver the best possible level of care to our patients. We are continuously looking at ways to further improve our service.
“The fact that we have consistently maintained (for four years now) such high standards in the care we deliver elderly hip fracture patients means that we have a very robust pathway in place for this group of patients.
“Our biggest strength is that we are a cohesive unified team, so rather than just working as separate groups of doctors, nurses, therapists, we work together.”
Some other encouraging positive results include:
- 91% of patients had surgery on the day of or day after admission, compared to a national average of 72%.
- 99% had a senior geriatric review within 72 hours of admission, compared to a national average of 85%.
Dr James Marsh, Joint Medical Director at the Trust, said he was delighted with the report: "This is a fantastic result and I would like to thank the hip fracture team at St Helier for all of their hard work. This will also be welcome news for local people too, as it proves, once again, that Epsom and St Helier hospitals provide patients with some of the best care in the country."
