Delighted to be part of the team winning this years HSJ award for patient safety.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust –The hip fracture journey through the lives of Alice and Dorothy
With a hip fracture mortality rate of 12 per cent in 2012-13, West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust set out to redesign the pathway.
Alice was 84, sustained a hip fracture, and was admitted to hospital distressed, frightened and challenging to manage.
Alice was given pain relief, transferred to a general ward and made it to evening theatre 15 hours after being admitted. She received a general anaesthetic and later, on the surgical ward, antipsychotic drugs. No-one called or visited. During the night, she deteriorated and died.
Dorothy came in after the service redesign. The 95-year-old also sustained a hip fracture and came in distressed, frightened, and restless.
Dorothy was seen quickly in A&E by senior specialists and transferred to the neck of femur ward. The specialist nurse ensured care was coordinated and tailored. Alongside comforting words, a junior doctor administered fascia block pain-relief. Dorothy was fast-tracked to theatre and given spinal anaesthesia. Recovery was uneventful.
The changes to a people-centred philosophy saw mortality dramatically reduce to 5.4 per cent in 2014-15. The average length of stay has been cut by more than two days, saving about £400,000 per year.
Judges hailed the “value driven” and “patient centred” approach and said West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust was a clear winner in this category.