NNUH rated among top performing trusts for emergency bowel surgery
The Norfolk and Norfolk University Hospital (NNUH) is among the top performing Trusts in the country for emergency bowel surgery outcomes, according to a national audit report.
The latest National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) demonstrates that patients can expect to be well enough to leave hospital almost a week ahead of the national average.
An emergency laparotomy (emergency bowel surgery) is a surgical operation for patients, often with severe abdominal pain, to quickly find the cause of the problem and treat it. It involves a general anaesthetic after which an incision is made to gain access to the abdomen.
Emergency bowel surgery can be carried out to clear a bowel obstruction, close a bowel perforation or stop bleeding in the abdomen. It can also treat complications of previous surgery. If left untreated, these conditions are often life-threatening.
According to the latest Audit:
• Average mortality after emergency laparotomy at NNUH is 9.4% compared with 10.6% nationally;
• NNUH length of stay is 10 days compared with the national average of 16.6 days;
• NNUH is one of only five hospitals in England and Wales to perform more than 300 emergency laparotomies last year with a figure of 345.
NNUH Consultant Surgeon Richard Wharton said: “The results of this audit is fantastic news for the patients that are brought here for emergency bowel surgery, and are testament to the hard work and skill of the whole team here at the NNUH.
“We are proud to be one of the top performing Trusts in the country and we are continually working to improve even further the care we offer our patients.”
The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit was started in 2013 after studies showed an emergency laparotomy to be one of the most high-risk types of emergency operation and the fact that levels of care and outcomes differed greatly from hospital to hospital.
Some 30,000 laparotomies are carried out each year across England and Wales and 24,897 of these were entered into the 2015-16 audit which was published last month.
The surgery involves many parts of a hospital working together, often within a short period of time, including the emergency department, radiology, operating theatres, critical care and ward care.
Since the audit began, improvements in care have reduced patients’ average hospital stay nationally from 19.2 days in 2013 to 16.6 days in 2016, and mortality rate has fallen from 11.8% – 10.6%.