Royal Surrey Is A Top Performer Of Diagnostic Scans On Day Of Admission

Published on: 5 Dec, 2012
Updated on: 5 Dec, 2012

The Royal Surrey County Hospital has been named as one of the top performers in the UK for providing patients with MRI scans on the day of admission, meaning vital diagnosis is not delayed.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.

The Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2012, now in its 11th year, was published online on Monday, December 3, and benchmarks the performance of every hospital trust in England. The guide includes 13 measures of efficiency for each trust and the Royal Surrey in Guildford performed higher than the national average, ranking among the top 40 trusts in the UK, on three important markers.

The hospital more than tripled the expected rate of 19% of people scanned on the day of admission on weekdays, with 72% of people getting an MRI the same day. At weekends the expected rate of 10% was quintupled, at 56% of patients scanned on the day of admission.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) has been around for decades, but recent advances in technology have improved the quality of scans so much that medical professionals can now use the tool to evaluate organs including the heart; blood vessels and more, as well as to help diagnose or monitor treatment for conditions such as tumors; heart problems; cancer; and fetal assessment in pregnant women.

The Royal Surrey’s performance covering seven-day emergency readmissions was calculated on the the number of patients readmitted to hospital within seven days of discharge. The low figure found shows that Royal Surrey patients are being discharged when it is clinically appropriate.

Statistics regarding outpatients who did not show up for their scheduled outpatient appointments are also low. The Royal Surrey says this figure represents our improved communication with patients as well as administrative processes.

The Royal Surrey does however, recognise there is still work to be done to further improve our outpatient services, especially regarding waiting times in the hospital and this is a key priority for the coming year.

In the financial year to date (April – October 2012) the hospital has recorded 167,277 outpatient attendances.

On the Royal Surrey’s own website it states: “The trust is always working hard to improve and there are areas in the Dr Foster guide where we are reported as performing less well than others. At the Royal Surrey we are currently undertaking a range of activities to improve ‘elderly long length of stay’ and ‘short stay emergency admissions with a vague diagnosis’ through our Patient 1st Programme, to ensure the flow of patients through the hospital improves, including the reduction of inappropriate admissions and emergency re-admissions, as well as length of stay.”