Quality Strategy

NHS organisations are under increasing pressure amid increasing transparency and greater scrutiny to demonstrate that the care they deliver is of the highest quality within an environment of limited financial resource and greater patient complexity. The focus on quality has been made very clear over the past 18 months with the publication of key documents such as the Francis report, Berwick report, Keogh reviews and greater media scrutiny of organisations.

Quality is at the core of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Foundation Trust, since the hospital opened at its current site in 1921 with the founding members Sir Robert Jones, a Surgeon and Dame Agnes Hunt, a Nurse. They established traditions of innovative treatment, care, dedication and professionalism which still guide the Trust today. Their legacy has been a hospital which continually raises standards, one which pushes boundaries in areas like community-based care, holistic approaches to treatment and multi-disciplinary working between clinicians, physiotherapists and other professionals. Surgeons, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Physicians, Administrative/Support staff and the Board of Directors continue to strive to deliver that vision from which the hospital was founded to provide outstanding patient care to every patient every day.

Since the launch of our first Quality Improvement Strategy in 2010 we have made considerable progress in our commitment to continuous quality improvement which we have published year on year through our Quality Accounts. These include:
 

• Introduced real time feedback from patients and utilised the responses to make improvements for patients and staff
• Introduced Anaesthetic led pre-operative assessment processes in line with best practice guidance
• Redesigned the theatre pathway through the use of technology to enhance efficiency
• Reduced length of stay through the introduction of the ‘Enhanced Recovery Programme’
• Enhanced the health and well- being of staff through the launch of the health and Well-being strategy
• Delivered 95% ‘Harm Free Care’ as measured by the NHS Safety Thermometer