Anaesthesia patients are safe in our hands | News

Patients attending for surgery at the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust can rest assured they are in a safe place after the Trust was accredited to the highest possible anaesthesia standards.

The Anaesthesia service has achieved Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) from the Royal College of Anaesthetists, which means the Trust meets all the high standards of care in Anaesthesia.

Keely Robson, Director of Operations, Division of Surgery, said:

“I’m very proud of everyone in our Anaesthetics department because it is not easy to get this accreditation, they have done brilliantly well. This is great news for us and our patients who can rest assured they are in safe hands when they have anaesthesia before their surgery.”

A new plaque celebrating this achievement will be displayed on the hospital site later this year.

ACSA engages anaesthesia departments in quality improvement through peer review. Participating departments benchmark their performance against a set of standards based on the college's Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services, which is produced via a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence accredited process, and work towards the goal of becoming accredited.

Dr Suzanne Taylor, Consultant Anaesthetist, Clinical Manager for Obstetric Anaesthesia, and ACSA Lead at the Trust, said:

“As a department, we were both proud and delighted to receive the prestigious ACSA accreditation from the Royal College of Anaesthetists. It has been a huge team effort in the three and a half years leading up to success. ACSA was surprisingly far reaching, involving people and processes well beyond the day-to-day anaesthesia delivered across the Trust’s three sites.  

“Anaesthetic doctors of every grade had the opportunity to be involved, developing guidance, updating existing policy, delivering training or auditing outcomes. The standards that required collaboration with other specialities led to improvements in patient safety and team working outside the theatre environment.  

“The review team were experienced and courteous, listening to staff groups during the visit. The report reflected this, and the feedback helped with the cycle of continued improvement thereafter.  

“Gaining accreditation is a fantastic achievement for the department, but the ultimate beneficiaries will be the patients of Mid Yorkshire.”