St Helier is tip top for hip ops
Elderly patients who are admitted to St Helier Hospital with a broken hip receive some of the best care in the country, according to a national report published recently.
The latest report from the National Hip Fracture Database measured 177 hospitals against a number of key clinical standards, and showed that while St Helier is the second busiest hip fracture unit in the capital (seeing 447 patients in the year), it also provides some of the most responsive and safe care in England.
St Helier has the lowest mortality rates in London and is one of three hospitals with the lowest mortality in the country. Our adjusted 30 day mortality (a measurement of how many patients sadly die within 30 days of coming to hospital with a fractured hip) was just 3%, against a national average of 6.8%.
The hospital was also the second best performer in the whole of the country for the Department of Health’s Best Practice Tariff – a measurement that takes into account eight different standards in hip fracture care, including time to surgery being less than 36 hours of the patient coming to hospital, an assessment by a geriatrician within 72 hours and undergoing a specialist falls assessment.
Dr Nivi Singh, Consultant Orthogeriatrician, said: “A broken hip is a significant injury for older people and the road to recovery can be an uphill struggle – it’s therefore absolutely vital that patients get the expert care that they need as soon as possible. The latest report from the National Hip Fracture Database reflects our commitment to providing this high level of care in a timely way, and we are really pleased with the results.
Miss Andrea Sott, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Director for Trauma & Orthopaedics at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust adds “In 2010, we established a dedicated hip fracture unit within the hospital, which houses a network of experts who are all key to the treatment and recovery process. We changed the daily trauma list order to make these vulnerable patients our top priority as a hip fracture can seriously affect quality of life and expectancy of survival. Our team includes: consultant orthopaedic surgeons like myself (who deal with operations and procedures involving the bones and joints), consultant anaesthetists (specialist doctors who control the level of unconsciousness our patients’ need during operations), a dedicated consultant orthogeriatrician, senior nurses, therapists and dieticians. By working together in one place, we can make sure our patients get timely expert surgical treatment, consistent care, with reviews from senior clinicians and support staff throughout their stay.”
Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said: “On behalf of the Trust, and our patients, I would like to say a huge well done to the whole of the team working on the Hip Fracture Unit. These results are fantastic, and everyone involved should rightly be proud.”
