A HOSPITAL in Dorchester has received high praise for its commitment to patient safety.

The Winterbourne Hospital, part of Circle Health Group, was recognised by the National Joint Registry after meeting six 'ambitious targets' throughout the audit period.

Achieving the award required staff and doctors at the hospital to perform, record and maintain accurate data for all the hospital’s orthopaedic treatments.

The quality of the information recorded was then audited by the National Joint Registry to help hospitals across the country create their own best practice framework.

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The NJR monitors the performance of hip, knee, ankle, elbow and shoulder joint replacement operations to improve clinical outcomes primarily for the benefit of patients, but also to support orthopaedic clinicians and industry manufacturers.

The ‘NJR Quality Data Provider’ certificate scheme was introduced to offer hospitals a blueprint for reaching high quality standards relating to patient safety and to reward those who have met registry targets.

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 The Winterbourne Hospital.

NJR targets also include having a high level of patients consenting for their details to be included in the registry and for hospitals to demonstrate timely responses to any alerts issued by the NJR in relation to potential patient safety concerns.

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Theresa Starling, Executive Director at The Winterbourne Hospital, 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 The Winterbourne 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 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.”