ST GEORGE’S Healthcare NHS Trust has been named a “top performing hospital” by a company that measures clinical performance.

Not only that, the Trust was named the most improved hospital for clinical care.

The CHKS awards, now in their fifth year, were held on Tuesday 26th April in Birmingham and are given every year to the 40 best performing hospitals that meet high standards of clinical care and efficiency.

CHKS – a company that provides a ‘clinical benchmarking’ service to the NHS – analysed clinical data from more than a hundred hospitals in 2004 to come up with the list of the 40 best Trusts.

The hospitals are not ranked in order but are each considered to be achievers of high quality care.

This is the first time that St George’s has made it through to the top 40.

Peter Homa, the Chief Executive of St George’s Hospital, said:

“We don’t claim to be a perfect hospital but we are working flat out to make every bit of our care better, safer and faster for patients.

“The CHKS awards set high standards of clinical performance and receiving these two awards is a huge pat on the back for staff who, through their hard work and dedication, are continually improving the service and care they give their patients.”

“Our staff have much to be proud of this year and I am delighted these awards have given them the recognition they well and truly deserve.”

The 17 aspects of care on which St George’s was judged to have improved were:

    • Risk adjusted mortality
    • Rate of emergency readmission to hospital (case mix adjusted)
    • Rate of emergency readmission to hospital following treatment for a fractured hip (case mix adjusted)
    • Returning home following treatment for stroke (case mix adjusted)
    • Returning home following treatment for fractured hip (case mix adjusted)
    • Risk adjusted complications
    • Day Case conversion rate (case mix adjusted)
    • Reported MRSA bacteraemia rate
    • Day Case rate for target procedures (case mix adjusted)
    • Risk adjusted length of stay
    • Healthcare Resource Groups reference costs with market forces factor adjustment
    • Missed out-patient appointments (1st visit, specialty adjusted)
    • Missed out-patient appointments (Follow-up visit, specialty adjusted)
    • Procedures not carried out – hospital decision
    • Proportion of surgical treatments provided to patients aged over 65 (case mix adjusted)
    • Survey of Outpatients views
    • Survey of the views of Accident & Emergency attenders

Graham Harries, the Chief Executive of CHKS, commented:

“It is impressive to see that this year’s 40 Top hospitals have achieved the highest performance level of the five years in which we have been undertaking this study. Over this time the indicators have evolved and grown and now present a rounded view of UK Trusts, taking into account performance measurements across all areas and activities from mortality to outpatient treatment.

“Seven trusts have made it into the 40 top for the first time including St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which also received the accolade of ‘Most Improved Trust’.”