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Designing a safe and sustainable pediatric neurosurgical practice: the English experience
1Department of Anaesthesia, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
Insights
New standards for pediatric neurosurgery in England aim to improve care quality and reduce outcome variations. These standards, developed through the
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- National Health Service (NHS) Policy
Background:
- The 2001 Bristol Royal Infirmary report highlighted the need for hospital-wide standards, impacting National Health Service (NHS) service provision.
- Key documents published between 2001 and 2013 informed the development of new pediatric neurosurgery standards.
- The 'Safe and Sustainable' review established a mission for world-class, not merely adequate, pediatric neurosurgical care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement agreed standards for pediatric neurosurgery established in 2013.
- To assess the impact of new commissioning structures and operational delivery networks in England.
- To evaluate if these networks enhance equitable access to high-quality pediatric neurosurgical care for children.
Main Methods:
- Development and agreement of pediatric neurosurgery standards in 2013.
- Implementation of 'Safe and Sustainable' standards and care models by NHS England's Clinical Reference Groups and operational delivery networks.
- Focus on effective outcome data collection for performance assessment.
Main Results:
- New commissioning structures and pediatric neurosurgical operational delivery networks are actively implementing the 'Safe and Sustainable' standards.
- The effectiveness of these networks in improving care equity and reducing outcome variation is under assessment.
- Data collection is underway to evaluate the impact on children's neurosurgical care outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The implementation of 'Safe and Sustainable' standards represents a significant step towards standardized, high-quality pediatric neurosurgery in England.
- Ongoing data collection is crucial for verifying the success of new care models in achieving equitable access and improved outcomes.
- The initiative aims to ensure English children receive world-class pediatric neurosurgical services.
Abstract:
The 2001 Report of the Public Inquiry into children's heart surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary 1984-1995 stated that there must be standards for hospitals as a whole and that hospitals, which do not meet these standards, should not be able to offer services within the National Health Service (NHS). In 2013, agreed standards for pediatric neurosurgery were produced. Between 2001 and 2013 several key documents were published, which formed the background to the review that produced these standards:, the 'Safe and Sustainable' review. The process had the mission statement, 'Safe, sustainable and world class. Not ordinary, OK or just good enough.' In April 2013, the new commissioning structure of NHS England came into being. Clinical Reference Groups (reporting directly into the new structure) and pediatric neurosurgical operational delivery networks are taking the Safe and Sustainable pediatric neurosurgery standards and models of care into practice in England. Effective outcome data collection will allow us to assess whether these networks will improve equity of access for English children to world-class pediatric neurosurgical care and reduce the variation in outcomes seen at the present time.
