K&C centre wins recognition for meeting top clinical and operational standards

 A surgical centre dedicated to planned operations has been successfully accredited for delivering high standards in clinical and operational practice. 

The Elective Orthopaedic Centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital received the seal of approval as part of a scheme run by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Teams visited the centre and assessed it against a framework of standards around patient experience, training and surgical outcomes. They were impressed by what they found, making the centre one of 24 surgical hubs to be accredited nationwide. The centre was opened in 2021 and has four state-of-the-art operating theatres dedicated to patients needing planned inpatient orthopaedic surgery, such as hip and knee replacements. There are also two 24-bed wards ring-fenced for their recovery.

It allows theatres and beds at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate and William Harvey Hospital in Ashford to be freed up for emergencies and cancer surgery. Nationally the NHS plans to increase capacity for planned operations with more dedicated operating theatres and beds, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations for emergency cases.

Jai Relwani, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and clinical lead of trauma and orthopaedics, said: “We are pleased to know that we have been given accreditation by GIRFT as a national / regional hub, the first in Kent. This has been a culmination of six years of effort with all the teams from wards, theatre, pre-assessment, therapies, anaesthetics, management and trauma and orthopaedics.” 

Omar Yanni, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, GIRFT south regional lead for orthopaedics and medical director, William Harvey Hospital, said: “We are delighted to be formally accredited under this scheme, and to receive recognition of the excellent work our teams are doing.”

The centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital can treat around 3,500 people a year, and helps to reduce the amount of time people have to wait for their operations.

Ali Mehdi, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of Kent and Canterbury Hospital, said: “This accreditation, delivered as a great example of collaborative multidisciplinary teamwork, will focus further efforts towards enabling the best orthopaedic care in many ways for the people of east Kent.”

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.”