Reports
SCTS Annual Report from the sub-committees and overview of the year
The principal aim of the SCTS Board of Representatives (BORS) is to promote and share quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery, as well as provide an effective line of communication between each cardiothoracic surgical Unit in the United Kingdom & Ireland with the SCTS Executive.
It is in this regard that we have produced the 1st SCTS BORS combined unit reports, which documents the major events that have occurred in each of the 50 Units throughout the United Kingdom & Ireland and more specifically examples of best practice that have been introduced over the past year. This will allow other units that care for patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery to integrate these ideas locally to improve the quality of care for cardiothoracic surgical patients. In addition, the report gives us an idea of the major plans that each of the Units are contemplating in the year ahead.
Through the annual submission of the Unit reports, we are also able to ascertain the level of consultant cardiothoracic surgical staffing within each unit to help with workforce planning and highlight potential opportunities of employment in the country.
In short, the enclosed SCTS BORS combined unit reports document the recent changes in cardiothoracic surgical practice throughout United Kingdom & Ireland and the consultant surgical workforce employed to deliver it.
The purpose of this document is to provide insight into the current workforce in cardiothoracic surgery and to assist in planning for the future, particularly in respect to the four principal subspecialties of adult cardiac surgery, general thoracic surgery, congenital cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary transplantation. The report has been prepared from the joint perspective of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (SCTS) and the Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) for cardiothoracic surgery.
SCTS Annual Report from the sub-committees and overview of the year
The GIRFT programme seeks to identify variation in NHS care, including practices, process and outcomes. It is one of several workstreams to improve operational efficiency in NHS hospitals. In particular, it is part of the response to Lord Carter’s review of productivity and provides vital input to the Model Hospital project.
GIRFT is closely aligned with other programmes that seek to improve standards while delivering efficiencies, such as NHS RightCare, acute care collaborations (ACCs) and sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs). It is funded by the Department of Health and is jointly overseen by NHS Improvement and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust.
This report presents findings from qualitative research with cardiothoracic patients and their family/friends to explore their information needs and their views of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery website.
The SCTS believes that we, in partnership with other organisations, have a responsibility to monitor and publish the outcomes of our surgery. By doing this, we aim to ensure that the trust placed in the medical profession by our patients is well deserved. You can find out more information about how we do this in our book, Maintaining Patients’ Trust’, which can be viewed online, downloaded and printed.