New care centre opens at St George's (From Wandsworth Guardian)

New care centre opens at St George's

6:00pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News

A new pre-operative care (POCC) centre at St George's has been officially opened.

Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, was on hand to cut the ribbon for the new facility designed to enhance the quality of care and improve the experience for patients coming to hospital for surgery.

At the POCC patients are checked to make sure they are in strong enough health before their operation, which reduces the risk of cancelled surgery.

Staff also ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for the patient’s admission to hospital, their eventual discharge home and for ongoing care afterwards.

Previously delivered from a range of locations across St George's Hospital, pre-operative care services are now based in one specialist environment, offering a "one stop shop" where patients can have their assessment as well as investigations, including ECGs (electrocardiograms), breathing tests and blood tests, all in one place.

This reduces the overall time patients have to spend in hospital as they can now avoid visiting separate departments for each test.

Jo Bratchell, lead nurse for pre-operative assessment, said: "We are so pleased that Councillor Govindia was able to officially open the unit for us.

"Pre-operative care is an essential part of the planned care pathway, enhancing the quality of care for patients in a number of ways.

"I’d like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to enable the establishment of the POCC.

"96.5 per cent of the 1,450 patients who have attended an appointment since the centre opened in July 2012 have rated their experience as excellent or good, and this is a testament to the enthusiasm and passion of our fantastic staff."