Post-op ward wins prize for its improvements
A SPECIALIST post-op ward at Halton Hospital has scooped a regional award for “continuous improvement”.
The Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) based at the Captain Sir Tom Moore Building in Runcorn collected the gong at the Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Care Partnership Professional Pride Awards.
PACU opened in January 2021 so Halton Hospital could provide a route for patients to undergo planned surgery during the pandemic and allow Warrington Hospital to continue as the focus for critical care amid higher demand due to Covid-19.
This meant more operations could go ahead as intended.
A Warrington and Halton Hospitals Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH) spokeswoman said it allowed more than 600 patients to have surgery at Halton after PACU opened, thereby easing pressure on critical care beds and reducing cancellations.
WHH said the PACU was a chance to deploy the skills of critical care nurses who couldn’t work in their usual wards during the pandemic due to underlying health conditions.
These staff became the core team and were complemented by theatre and surgical nurses.
Welcoming the award, Claire Grice, PACU manager, said: “I was really surprised to win this award as we have only been open just over a year.
“It means so much to the whole team to win as this award was voted for by our peers across the region.
“This award has highlighted the importance of having a service like PACU, which has enabled many of our patients to have their surgery at our Halton site reducing their waiting times.
“Waiting for surgery can be a very anxious and stressful time and often for our patients the quality of life can be impacted.
“By introducing post operative anaesthesia care here at Halton, we have been able to support reduction in waiting times.
“We are very proud of what we have developed here and the success of the service now and in the future is down to the whole team involved.”