Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative

Emergency Laparotomy Programme (ELP)

Wessex Patient Safety Collaborative and Wessex AHSN have recently launched the Emergency Laparotomy Programme (ELP). The aim of the ELP is to build on the successful outcomes of the Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative (ELC which was a collaboration over two years between the three Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) of Wessex, West of England and Kent Surrey Sussex aimed at improving the standard of care patients undergoing emergency laparotomy in a bid to reduce mortality rates, complications and length of stay. Following on from the success of the ELC, NHS England have commissioned AHSNs to support their provider trusts to adopt the ELC principles.

The Wessex ELP programme will offer to trusts:

• Data sharing from the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) into a Wessex-specific data dashboard to help Wessex trusts to understand areas for potential quality improvement and best practice
• Support in developing robust methods for submitting NELA data
• Support with developing pathways and quality improvement programmes around the new Best Practice Tariff for emergency laparotomy being introduced by NHS Improvement in April 2019
• Emergency Surgery Network meetings where a wide-range of clinicians and operational staff meet to work collaboratively on shared opportunities and challenges in emergency surgery
• Educational events and in will become sharing forums where best practice and techniques can be shared
• Needs-based individual support for Trusts from programme team at Wessex AHSN including Quality Improvement support
• Individual data feedback to trusts

It has been shown that patients admitted for emergency surgery are often elderly with a number of comorbidities. This cohort of patients have a mortality rate of approximately 11-15% but have often historically received only basic levels of care consistently offered. Through original work in local hospitals a bundle of care elements have been shown to improve outcomes for patients.

If you have any questions about the Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative or any other aspects of the Wessex Patient Safety Collaborative, please contact us by clicking the button below.