Stakeholder Comments
Comments from members of the NELA Clinical Reference Group on the Organisational Report
"The Age Anaesthesia Association welcomes the first report of the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit, which highlights important areas for quality improvement activity at the individual hospital level. The report covers England and Wales only but it is likely that the key messages will be equally applicable in all devolved nations.
The elderly are a particularly high risk and vulnerable group in all areas of surgery, and emergency general surgery is by no means an exception. The overall mortality rate for a patient over 80 undergoing emergency laparotomy is almost 25% (compared to c15% for all age groups).
AAA very much supports the work of NELA, and eagerly anticipates the patient-level data which should become available next year. AAA continues to work with NELA and other groups to develop quality improvement initiatives for elderly patients who require emergency general surgery."/
Dr David Saunders
Age Anaesthesia Association
"The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine are very supportive of the project and commend excellent multidisciplinary team working to improve patient care. Critical care involvement is fundamental to delivery of good quality post-operative care in high-risk surgical patients. However, there is still an inadequate number of level 2 and 3 beds to enable all patients who can benefit to be admitted. In addition, there is a projected 4% year on year increase in demand for level 2 and 3 beds. The new CCT in ICM is an opportunity to improve care. However, training numbers are still too low to supply current demand let alone the projected increase."
Dr Diane Monkhouse
Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine
