Re-accreditation to prestigious Royal College of Anaesthetists’ scheme achieved by Wirral University Teaching Hospital

Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) is one of the first hospitals in the North West to successfully re-accredit with the prestigious Anaesthetic Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA).

ACSA is a voluntary scheme run by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Anaesthetic departments must provide evidence of continuous quality improvement and service development in order to maintain their accreditation status.

The ACSA standards have been created to ensure high quality patient care, whether it means, for example, that the patient has an appropriate pre-operative assessment before surgery, that information provided to them is clear and accessible, or that there are robust systems in place to ensure their safety.

Dr Jessica Griffiths, Consultant Anaesthetist and WUTH’s ACSA Lead, said: “Anaesthetists work closely with the wider peri-operative medicine team to provide high quality care for our patients. As a department we are committed to continuous quality improvement, and this has been recognised with our successful re-accreditation. I’d like to say a huge well done to every member of the team who contributed to this great achievement.”

WUTH Executive Medical Director, Dr Nikki Stevenson, said: “I’m really proud of WUTH colleagues, especially the anaesthetists, for this wonderful achievement. It provides robust and detailed evidence of patient safety and requires collaboration between the teams in anaesthesia, peri-operative medicine, theatres and pharmacy to achieve and maintain our ACSA accreditation. The fact that it is a voluntary scheme demonstrates our commitment as a hospital trust to delivering the highest possible standards of patient care.”

WUTH first achieved accreditation in 2018 and this is the first full review since that time. Every review visit by the ACSA panel includes a lay reviewer to ensure that patient concerns are kept at the forefront. 

During the review visit, WUTH was found to be providing services of a high and consistent standard. Dr Emma Hosking of the ACSA review team commented: “We were impressed by the innovation and quality improvement, and the commitment to planned care recovery. The service clearly showcased the benefits of inclusive teamwork and strong clinical leadership, and their re-accreditation is richly deserved.”

The lay reviewer, Ann Shearer, said: “During our visit to Wirral, I was very impressed by the patient-focussed care provided by the Surgical Elective Admissions Lounge (SEAL).” WUTH’s SEAL Unit has also recently been nominated for a Health Service Journal Award for its new sensory suite for patients attending hospital for surgery who have additional needs.

Dr Russell Perkins, Vice President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists came to WUTH to present the ACSA plaque. Link to this short video when he talks about three things that stood out as being fantastic about WUTH.

Photo above left to right: Dr Kath Brodbelt, Associate Medical Director; Dr Sheila Carey, Clinical Service Lead for Perioperative Medicine; Dr Jess Griffiths, Consultant Anaesthetist and ACSA Lead; Dr Russell Perkins, Vice President of the RCOA; Dr Neil Oakes, Clinical Director of Perioperative Medicine; Dr Nikki Stevenson, Executive Medical Director.