Clinical Outcomes

• SMTC aims to provide a high quality clinical service. To achieve this it relies on high quality staff, implementing evidence-based protocols, using the latest equipment and techniques. SMTC underpins this with a robust clinical governance process. This ensures there is systematic collection of clinical data as well as regular reviews of processes and adverse events with the aim of reducing clinical risk.
• All efforts have been made to collect comprehensive data. Patients, SMTC staff, GPs and local acute hospitals have been encouraged to inform SMTC and refer patients back to SMTC where any problem has arisen.  SMTC’s policy is to deal with all complications it can do so safely. All patients are given the SMTC 24 hour “help line” telephone number and encouraged to ring if they have any queries or problems. All patients are given a survey on discharge, providing an opportunity to capture data on any subsequent complications. 
• The overall results for SMTC (1 April 2006 – 31 March 2007) from over 10,000 procedures are set out below. Please note that some patients (indicated by *) refer to multiple events. For example, 1 of the patients with a PE is the same patient who was transferred to another provider for IP care.
  

NB: The patient death was a 70 year man with a total knee replacement who had some undiagnosed cardiac disease.
SMTC has achieved a 0% MRSA and C-Difficile rate for people admitted to the Treatment Centre since it opened in 2005.

• These high level measures provide an indication of the service overall. However, such clinical measures only make sense when looked at in terms of the specialties and the procedures being provided. Attached is therefore a section each on (a) total joint replacements (b) general orthopaedics (c) general surgery/ endoscopy and (d) ophthalmology
  
• SMTC and district general hospitals (DGHs) mostly see the same type of patients ie ASA scores 1-3 (stable). However, DGHs also see a small number of patients with more severe co-morbidities, which makes it hard to compare results directly.  With that caveat in mind, SMTC’s results (both above and in subsequent pages) nevertheless indicate a good, safe clinical service that is working within and exceeding expected clinical norms.

To view the full report, please click here for full details.