Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust anaesthetists rewarded for high quality patient care

Anaesthetists at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust have been recognised for providing the highest quality care to their patients. The department have achieved the prestigious Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and excellence of care. 

ACSA is the RCoA’s peer-reviewed scheme that promotes quality improvement and the highest standards of anaesthetic service. To receive accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate high standards in areas such as patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership.
 
Dr Amer Qureshi, Chief of Service for Theatres, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Frimley Health NHS Trust, said: 

“All members of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Anaesthesia, which comprises three separate hospitals, are very proud to have been awarded their accreditation simultaneously. ACSA has been one of our Trust’s strategic plans, showing our commitment to high quality standards of patient centred care. It has provided clear proof of our directorate’s unification, so that a patient may be reassured that regardless of which hospital in the Trust they present to, the high standards of anaesthetic care will be the same. However we are not going to stop just because this strategic plan is complete. We are going to use this, not only to promote recruitment, but to promote the specialty within the Trust, within primary care and to the public. This is to further our strategic goals relating to integrated care pathways. And of course to sustain the achievement. 

“The ACSA inspection itself is extraordinarily thorough – they check everything and more! All those organisations that have passed this test should be very proud, as we are, of what has been accomplished. I would recommend all anaesthetic departments work towards accreditation as a way to pull themselves up towards excellence.”

Professor Ravi Mahajan, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said: 

“I would like to offer my personal congratulations to the entire anaesthetic department on achieving ACSA accreditation. It is richly deserved and demonstrates their commitment to providing the best possible care for their patients.

“Patient safety is at the heart of what we do as a medical royal college. The quality improvement demonstrated during the accreditation process has helped the department manage the immense tasks presented to them by COVID-19 and the resumption of normal services.   

“It was fantastic to see the many innovative practices taking place at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Including a successful collaboration between the two main hospital sites, despite the distance between them. All the while managing to keep patients as the primary focus and deliver excellent flexibility to match patient’s needs.  

“As well as meeting the standards, the department demonstrated many areas of excellent advanced practice that have now been highlighted for sharing through the ACSA network.”

Dr Jonathan Freeman, RCoA ACSA lead reviewer, said: 

“I am delighted that, despite significant difficulties engendered not only by the distant geography of the two main hospitals and the subsequent viral pandemic, the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. ACSA team managed to achieve accreditation. It was a great pleasure to be able to be part of the review process, to meet with the department during the onsite visit and to see the great strides made in consistent shared processes and guidelines between sites. The department impressed with its friendly and enthusiastic attitude and its innovative approach to overcoming any issues. Well done.”