The Sulis Hospital in Peasedown St John near Bath has been recognised as an elective surgical hub that delivers high standards in its clinical and operational practice.
An operating theatre at the Sulis Hospital near Bath | Photo © Sulis Hospital Bath
The hospital, which is owned by the RUH, has received accreditation from NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The scheme assesses hubs against a framework of standards to help deliver faster access to some of the most common surgical procedures.
This status also seeks to assure patients about the high standards of clinical care.
The purpose of surgical hubs is to provide additional dedicated operating theatres and beds, aiming to improve the availability of planned surgeries.
These elective surgical hubs are exclusively dedicated to performing scheduled surgeries and mainly focus on high volume, low complexity (HVLC) procedures across a range of specialties such as ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear, nose, and throat, as well as urology.
Sulis Hospital Bath is the first NHS-owned independent hospital and one of 16 NHS surgical hubs nationally to be awarded the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) accreditation.
Sulis Hospital was acquired by the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust in June 2021, and continues as an independent hospital treating both NHS and private patients.
Jenny Anstey, Head of Nursing at Sulis Hospital said, “I am delighted to announce that Sulis Hospital has achieved the elective surgery hub accreditation status following a thorough assessment conducted by the esteemed NHS Improvement Team during their visit earlier this year.
“This accreditation marks a significant milestone as we become the first NHS-owned independent hospital in the UK to undergo such a rigorous evaluation process by the NHS assessors and emerge successful.
“The initial verbal feedback from the team was extremely positive, with them expressing their admiration for the exceptional clinical care provided at Sulis, describing it as ‘tip top’.
“The team’s dedication to delivering compassionate care to our patients has been acknowledged at a high level, positioning Sulis as a renowned centre of excellence.
“We will be sharing this achievement extensively with our colleagues at the Royal United Hospital Bath, across the region, and with patients and their families within our local community.”
In addition, Sulis Hospital has made significant advancements in healthcare by being one of the first locations in the UK to offer same-day arthroplasty procedures.
In the past 11 months alone, Sulis Hospital has carried out 166 arthroplasty surgeries where patients have returned home on the same day of their hip or knee joint replacement.
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. Several are setting new standards with regard to day-case surgery and innovative models of care.
“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.”
