Scheme aims to make hospital world class

THE Royal Oldham Hospital is poised to take part in a pioneering scheme to save lives and improve patient care.

The programme, which starts next week, is expected to save the region’s hospitals £17 million by cutting unnecessary readmissions and the length of hospital stays.

NHS North-West also estimates it will save 141 lives, avoid 159 complications, prevent 248 readmissions and save patients staying in hospital for an overall 20,811 days.

From October 1, 40 hospitals will be asked to show they have met a series of quality standards when treating patients for heart attacks, pneumonia, heart failure, hip and knee replacements, and heart bypass operations.

The move means, for example, that the administering of appropriate antibiotics after hip replacement will be recorded, aided by new IT information and reporting systems.

The top-performing hospitals which meet the standards required will get extra money.

Mike Farrar, chief executive of NHS North-West, said he was confident that the scheme, pioneered in America, has huge potential to improve care.

He said: “We believe it will help hospitals to raise their game, to be more efficient and to bring care up to world-class standards.”

A spokesman for the hospital said the scheme was just one of many harnessed to continually raise the quality of clinical care.

He said: “The Royal Oldham has a growing reputation and we are very pleased to have been included.”