The individual results of around 5,000 consultant surgeons have been published on the MyNHS website (NHS Choices). This latest publication, which covers 10 specialty areas of surgery, gives patients another route to find out more about an individual surgeon’s practice and the outcomes for their patients after an operation.
The consultant outcomes data, based on national clinical audits, are a way of measuring performance against a set of professional standards such as survival rates, length of stay in hospital following a procedure and repeat operation rates, as well as the number of operations performed. The data, which is presented by different procedures or operations, cover varying measures and time periods, with some audits looking at over three years of data.
The exercise has found that the overwhelming majority of surgeons are performing operations and procedures to the high standards expected by their own professional association. For a second year only a handful of surgeons appear as ‘outliers’ where their results are outside what is expected. In the rare instance where there is a concern, the specialty association is working closely with the individual and hospital Trust in order to understand the reasons b ehind their data and where necessary ensure support is in place so that patients are receiving a high standard of care.
Miss Clare Marx, president, Royal College of Surgeons said: “Patients and surgeons should have honest and open conversations about the likely outcome of their surgery and best treatment options available. Publishing consultant outcomes is just one step for ensuring that dialogue and trust is present.”
