Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust anaesthetists rewarded for high quality patient care

Published: 14/07/2023

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been re-accredited under the prestigious Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) 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. 

ACSA lead reviewer, Dr Jessica Griffith said: 

“The ACSA re-accreditation process has been a big project, especially after a hiatus during Covid. However, as a department we have found it a useful trigger to re-look at our processes and procedures, and make improvements. The annually updated ACSA standards have ensured that our department is staying up to date and is continuing to provide high quality patient care. The RCOA have recognised the hard work and commitment of our peri-operative team at WUTH. Gaining re-accreditation has been a big boost for morale, at a challenging time for the NHS.”

Dr Russell Perkins, Vice 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 very impressive to see the commitment and approach of the whole department to sustaining their standards. They have demonstrated their ability and passion for 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 impressive to see the innovative practices taking place at the hospital, and the excellent commitment from all staff during the process. 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.”