EXPERT’S PLAN TO HELP PATIENTS... AND THE NHS

AS NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY FOR THE NHS, PROFESSOR TIM BRIGGS IS ON A MISSION. HAVING VISITED 269 HOSPITALS, HE FOUND FLUCTUATING LEVELS OF INFECTION IN PATIENTS FOLLOWING ORTHOPAEDIC JOINT REPLACEMENT. HIS PLAN

IS TO REDUCE INFECTION BY RING-FENCING BEDS FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING SIMILAR PROCEDURES. SO, YOU’D PUT HIP REPLACEMENT PATIENTS WITH OTHER HIP REPLACEMENT PATIENTS. YOU WOULDN’T PUT A KNEE REPLACEMENT NEXT TO, SAY, A BOWEL SURGERY PATIENT BECAUSE THE RISK OF INFECTION FROM CROSS-CONTAMINATION IS INCREASED.

PROFESSOR BRIGGS DISCOVERED THAT UP TO 40% OF HOSPITALS DO NOT PRACTISE RING-FENCING AND INFECTION RATES ARE AS HIGH AS 5% IN SOME. HIS AIM IS TO

REDUCE THAT TO 0.2%, WHICH WILL SAVE THE NHS £250-300 MILLION EVERY YEAR.

HIS GETTING IT RIGHT FIRST TIME (GIRFT) PROGRAMME, WHICH HAS SUCCESSFULLY REDUCED JOINT INFECTION RATES, HAS BEEN EXPANDED ACROSS 32 SPECIALTIES THAT COVER 90% OF MEDICAL AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES CARRIED OUT IN HOSPITALS. THE AIM IS TO REDUCE VARIATION AND COMPLICATIONS, AND IMPROVE QUALITY OUTCOMES. W&H