Trauma and Orthopaedic Services
These services diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions of the musculoskeletal system. This includes bones and joints and their associated structures that enable movement - ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves. Currently, both urgent and planned care is delivered in Lincoln, Pilgrim and Grantham Hospitals, with additional activity in our local community hospitals. These services are out-patients, minor procedures and operations.
Why we need to change?
Our current service model is not sustainable. We have long waiting lists and planned operations are often cancelled. This is because planned surgery, unplanned surgery and urgent medical services are currently situated together, and staff and resources are often redirected to unplanned surgery and urgent medicine. 33% of planned orthopaedic operations were cancelled in 2017/18. This is often because hospital beds are being used by medical emergencies.
National clinical best practice evidence is that separating urgent work from planned work prevents operations being cancelled. Planned care sites have better outcomes for patients, lower rates of readmission, reduced lengths of stay and reduced risk of infections and injuries.
By developing a ‘centre of excellence’ for planned orthopaedic surgery, we would fix the problem of cancelled operations and give certainty to patients that their operation will go ahead as planned.
We have been testing this way of working since August 2018 at Grantham Hospital and this test is due to conclude in March 2019. The evaluation will help decide whether the best practice model of care works in Lincolnshire, including the extent to which non-complex trauma could continue at the Grantham Hospital site. Outpatient services will remain at all sites.
What is the ‘emerging option’?
Our emerging option is to make Grantham Hospital a ‘centre of excellence’ for planned and day case orthopaedic surgery.
Lincoln and Pilgrim Hospitals would provide some day case surgery and planned care for those patients with complex needs.
Outpatient services would remain at Lincoln, Pilgrim and Grantham Hospital as now.
The benefits of this emerging option could include:
- Far fewer cancelled operations
- Better clinical results for patients, lower rates of re-admission, reduced length of hospital stay and reduced risk of infections and injuries
- Trauma patients seen quicker by more specialised clinicians, with fewer unnecessary admissions
- Improved job satisfaction, morale and productivity for our staff
- Less patients having to travel to other counties for their treatment
