Emergency Laparotomy

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In A Nutshell:

The aim of the Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative is to improve the safety and quality of the care delivered to adults undergoing an emergency bowel surgery within our region.

This project was funded until the end of March 2020. There are currently (March 2021) national discussions regarding future funding. We are very much hoping that we can continue with this important project.

The core project team were based at the Improvement Academy, Bradford. They provided project support (software for data collection and analysis, reports, event co-ordination etc.). The Yorkshire and Humber Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative steering group had representation from trusts involved in the collaborative, as well as a trainee and nurse rep.

 

The Data

Data that is already collected for the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) was shared by each trust, with the Improvement Academy. We can enable trusts to see their data and track their improvement, and allow comparator groups to be set up. For instructions on how to export data from NELA click here. This facility is still available for bespoke work, although the NELA website now provides more analytics that at the start of the ELC.

 

The Project

The project is based on the Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative that started in Kent Surrey Sussex, Wessex and the West of England. By using a care bundle, they decreased 30-day mortality and length of stay for patients undergoing an emergency laparotomy.

The Yorkshire and Humber Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative covered all the staff in the acute trusts who care for adults who undergo an emergency laparotomy. Staff from Emergency Department, radiology, anaesthetics and critical care, surgical medical, nursing and theatre teams, elderly medicine, and audit teams were all involved. It is these front-line teams who through collaboration locally can deliver the real changes to these patients.

There were sharing and learning events twice a year to support teams in their improvement journeys. Through the collaborative approach, we can learn from teams’ failures and successes.

who we are working with

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