Altnagelvin Hospital is celebrating after being named as a National Joint Registry (NJR) Quality Data Provider after successfully completing a national programme of local data audits.
The NJR monitors the performance of hip, knee, ankle, elbow and shoulder joint replacement operations to improve clinical outcomes for the benefit of patients, clinicians and industry.
The registry collects high quality orthopaedic data in order to provide evidence to support patient safety, standards in quality of care, and overall cost effectiveness in joint replacement surgery.
The ‘NJR Quality Data Provider’ certificate scheme was introduced to offer hospitals a blueprint for reaching high quality standards relating to patient safety and reward those who have met registry targets in this area.
In order to achieve the award, hospitals are required to meet a series of six ambitious targets during the audit period 2018/19.
One of the targets which hospitals are required to complete is compliance with the NJR’s mandatory national audit aimed at assessing data completeness and quality within the registry.
The NJR Data Quality Audit investigates the accurate number of joint replacement procedures submitted to the registry compared to the number carried out and recorded in the local hospital Patient Administration System.
The audit ensures that the NJR is collecting and reporting upon the most complete, accurate data possible across all hospitals performing joint replacement operations, including Altnagelvin Hospital.
Mary Lafferty, Assistant Nursing Manager for Trauma and Orthopaedics in the Western Trust said: “Improving patient safety is of the upmost importance and something all staff take very seriously.
“We fully support the National Joint Registry’s work in facilitating improvement in clinical outcomes and governance for the benefit of joint replacement patients and we’re delighted to be awarded as an ‘NJR Quality Data Provider’.”
National Joint Registry Medical Director, Mr Tim Wilton, said: “Congratulations to colleagues at Altnagelvin Hospital.
The Quality Data Provider Award demonstrates the high standards being met towards ensuring compliance with the NJR and is often a reflection of strong departmental efforts to achieve such status.
Registry data now provides an important source of evidence for regulators, such as the Care Quality Commission, to inform their judgements about services, as well as being a fundamental driver to inform improved quality of care for patients.”
Mr Matthew Porteous, Chair of the NJR Data Quality Committee, added: “It is clear that for surgeons and patients alike, the necessity for having accurate and complete data is an absolute requirement.
“The Quality Data Provider Award continues to go from strength to strength and highlights the number of hospitals who are now fully engaged with the NJR’s data completeness programme.”
Full details about the NJR’s Quality Data Provider certificate scheme can be found online at: www.njrcentre.org.uk
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