The orthopaedic team at NHS Forth Valley has gained the accolade of the most improved unit in Scotland for treating patients with hip fractures. The award was presented at the national hip fracture meeting in Glasgow following a national audit.
A report entitled ‘Hip Fracture Care Pathway 2019’ revealed that Forth Valley Royal Hospital was the sixth busiest in the country for this type of operation and the hospital scored well in a number of areas. These included returning patients to their homes at 30 days, bone health assessments to minimise subsequent fractures, getting people mobile again and assessing inpatients. The mortality rate at 30 days from when the incident occurred has also halved over the past seven years from 12% to 6%.
NHS Forth Valley Consultant Anaesthetist and Clinical Lead for Theatres, Dr Ewan Jack, said: “Patients who break their hips within Forth Valley can be reassured they are getting some of the best care in the UK and over the next 12 months we will be focusing on further improving access to theatres for early surgical repair.”
In addition to the award for the most improved unit, Kirstie Stenhouse, Fracture Liaison Specialist for NHS Forth Valley, also won the individual prize for the best project at the national meeting. This highlighted how the use of rehabilitation assistants, who have been employed to increase mobility and independence in patients who have experienced a hip fracture, has enabled patients to be discharged more quickly without any increase in re-admission rates and helped free up beds.
