Publish date: 17 January 2024
Second Northumbria Healthcare hospital accredited as a surgical hub
North Tyneside General Hospital has been successfully accredited as an elective surgical hub for delivering high standards in clinical and operational practice.
This is the second surgical hub site run by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, after Wansbeck General Hospital was also accredited in November last year.
The scheme, run by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, assesses hubs against a framework of standards. These aim to help hubs deliver faster access to some of the most common surgical procedures, such as hip replacements. It also seeks to assure patients about the high standards of clinical care.
Surgical hubs, which are separated from emergency services, are part of plans nationally to increase capacity for elective care with more dedicated operating theatres and beds.
The hubs exclusively perform planned surgery and mainly focus on high volume, low complexity (HVLC) surgery across six specialties - ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.
Hubs bring together the skills and expertise of staff under one roof, with protected facilities and theatres, helping to deliver shorter waits for surgery. Because they are separated from emergency services, their surgical beds can be kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.
Marion Dickson, Northumbria Healthcare's executive director for surgery, said: "We are very proud of our model of delivering care at Northumbria and have fully embraced the benefits of separating elective and planned care from our emergency provision. It means we are more efficient, so we can reduce patient waiting times.
"We are delighted that North Tyneside has followed Wansbeck in being accredited as an elective surgical hub, and thank everyone in the team for their continued hard work to deliver high-quality care for our patients."
North Tyneside General Hospital was recently visited and assessed by the GIRFT team for accreditation and recognition that the hub is working to a defined set of clinical and operational standards on:
- The patient pathway
- Staff and training
- Clinical governance and outcomes
- Facilities and ring-fencing
- Utilisation and productivity
North Tyneside and Wansbeck are two of 31 hubs to date that have been accredited. There are around 94 hub sites currently in operation in England and the scheme is being rolled out nationally with quarterly cohorts to accredit all hubs over the next two years. While it is not mandatory for trusts to seek accreditation, the long-term goal is for every elective hub to be accredited.
Professor Tim Briggs, chair of GIRFT and NHS England’s national director for clinical Improvement and elective recovery, said: "We have been impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the hub teams who are delivering outstanding care.
"All of the sites we accredited are focused on delivering safe and high-quality care, and an excellent patient experience. GIRFT’s focus is on developing surgical hubs with the aim of improving patient flow so that patients have shorter waits for surgery and, for some procedures, will be more likely to be able to go home on the same day."