St George’s Hospital pre-operative care centre officially opened
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, officially opened St George’s Hospital’s pre-operative care centre on Monday, 4th March 2013.
The pre-operative care centre (POCC) is a new facility, designed to enhance quality of care and improve the experience for patients coming to hospital for surgery. At the POCC patients are checked to make sure they are in strong enough health before their operation, which reduces the risk of cancelled surgery. Staff also ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for the patient’s admission to hospital, their eventual discharge home and for ongoing care afterwards.
Previously delivered from a range of locations across St George’s Hospital, pre-operative care services are now based in one specialist environment, offering a “one stop shop” where patients can have their assessment as well as investigations, including ECGs (electrocardiograms), breathing tests and blood tests, all in one place. This reduces the overall time patients have to spend in hospital as they can now avoid visiting separate departments for each test.
Jo Bratchell, lead nurse for pre-operative assessment, said: “We are so pleased that Cllr Govindia was able to officially open the unit for us. Pre-operative care is an essential part of the planned care pathway, enhancing the quality of care for patients in a number of ways.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to enable the establishment of the POCC. 96.5 per cent of the 1450 patients who have attended an appointment since the centre opened in July 2012 have rated their experience as excellent or good, and this is a testament to the enthusiasm and passion of our fantastic staff.”
Notes to editors
For more information and for high resolution photography, please contact the Communications Unit on 020 8725 5151 or email: communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk. Outside working hours, please page us by calling 0844 822 2888, leaving a short message and contact details for pager SG548. High res photos available on request.
