A Sutton hospital has been recognised after its hip fracture unit was shown to deliver some of the best care in the country.
National reports show that, despite St Helier Hospital being the second busiest hip fracture unit in the capital with 447 patients a year, it provides some of the most responsive and safe care in England.
In addition to that, St Helier Hospital ranks second in the country for the Department of Health’s best practice tariff, a measurement of eight standards of hip fracture care.
These include time to surgery, an assessment by a geriatrician within 72 hours and undergoing a specialist falls assessment.
Dr Nivi Singh, Consultant Orthogeriatrician, said: “A broken hip is a significant injury for older people and the road to recovery can be an uphill struggle – it’s therefore absolutely vital that patients get the expert care that they need as soon as possible.
“The latest report from the National Hip Fracture Database reflects our commitment to providing this high level of care in a timely way, and we are really pleased with the results.”
With the lowest mortality rates in London, it’s no surprise this hospital is top of the ranks in hip fracture treatments.
St Helier’s 3% is significantly better than the national average of 6.8% for the adjusted 30-day mortality – a measurement of how many patients die within 30 days of coming to hospital with a fractured hip –
Chief Executive of Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust Daniel Elkeles said: “On behalf of the Trust, and our patients, I would like to say a huge well done to the whole of the team working on the Hip Fracture Unit. These results are fantastic, and everyone involved should rightly be proud.”
