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Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Paediatric Elective Surgical Hub has been accredited as part of a Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) quality improvement scheme, recognising clinical and operational enhancements to children’s surgical care.
The accreditation of the hub, which is based at the Trust’s Chorley and South Ribble District Hospital, comes after the Trust’s Elective Surgical Hub was one of the first eight sites to be recognised when the scheme was piloted in early 2023.
The accreditation provides recognition that Hubs work to a defined set of clinical and operational standards, and is part of the national plan to increase capacity for elective care, with more dedicated operating theatres and beds.
The Paediatric Hub used the established Elective Surgical Hub to create a pop-up children’s day case pathway, moving activity from an acute site at Royal Preston Hospital to be able to treat more children in the same number of theatre sessions, as well as transforming the existing adult day case ward to a children’s day case ward that is staffed by children’s nurses and play specialists with games, toys and posters.
The service - specific to certain specialties including dental and facial surgery, ophthalmology, plastic surgery and ear, nose and throat procedures - has had a huge impact, with waiting list numbers decreasing and an increase in elective procedures taking place.
In June 2023 there were 1,293 children waiting for elective procedures, which was reduced to 1,099 by April 2024. In 2022/23, 1,694 elective procedures took place at an average of 142 per calendar month, and that rose to 1,966 in 2023/24, averaging 185 a month.
Steve Canty, Surgical Medical Director, said: “I am delighted that our Paediatric Hub is now officially recognised to provide the same outstanding care that our Elective Surgical Hub has – offering our patients a better experience whilst also helping to decrease our surgical waiting times. Having both our paediatric and adult elective cases in one unit at Chorley means that we can treat more children in the same number of theatre sessions, improving patient, carer and staff experience.”
He added: “Over recent years, Chorley and South Ribble Hospital has received significant investment into its surgical facilities which more recently includes new theatres, the Lancashire Eye Centre, and the Surgical Enhanced Care Unit. Overall, it is really positive for our patients and staff that our Paediatric Surgical Hub has been awarded accreditation as part of the GIRFT scheme to ensure the highest standards in clinical and operational practice.”
To date, 40 hubs have been accredited out of 107 currently established. Accreditation is not mandatory, but it offers hubs external recognition that they work to a defined set of clinical and operational standards and is part of the national plan to increase capacity for elective care with more dedicated operating theatres and beds.
The work of the Trust’s surgical team doesn’t stop there, and there are further aims to explore more specialities and procedures in the future. Alongside the accreditation, in June, the hub was also shortlisted for the Improving Care for Children and Young People Initiative of the Year at
this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards, with the winners to be announced during the awards ceremony at Manchester Central, on September 16, 2024.
You can find out more about the Paediatric Surgical Hub when we featured the project back In July last year on our website https://www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/news/article/592
