Awards and Accreditation, Tunbridge Wells Hospital

National Joint Registry

We've been awarded Gold for commitment to patient safety by the National Joint Registry, after successfully completing a national programme of local data audits.

The NJR monitors the performance of hip, knee, ankle, elbow and shoulder joint replacement procedures to improve clinical outcomes for the benefit of patients, but also to support and give performance feedback to orthopaedic clinicians and industry manufacturers. The registry collects high-quality orthopaedic data in order to provide evidence to support patient safety, standards in quality of care, and overall value 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 to reward those who have met registry targets.

In order to achieve the award, hospitals are required to meet a series of six ambitious targets during the audit period 2022/23. 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 compares the number of joint replacement procedures submitted to the registry 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 Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital. NJR targets also include having a high level of patients consenting for their details to be included in the registry so that they can be more easily contacted in future should the need arise.

Commenting, Penny Pontet, Health System Director at Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital said: “Improving patient safety is of the utmost importance and something all staff take very seriously. We fully support the National Joint Registry’s work in facilitating improvement in clinical outcomes 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 Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells 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. As well as being a fundamental driver to inform improved quality of care for patients, registry data provides an important source of evidence for regulators, such as the Care Quality Commission, to inform their judgements about the quality of health services.”

Full details about the NJR’s Quality Data Provider certificate scheme can be found online at https://www.njrcentre.org.uk.

ANTT® (Aseptic Non Touch Technique)

We've been awarded a Silver ANTT ® Accreditation 2023 for aseptic technique, commitment to infection prevention and patient safety.

ANTT® Accreditation, overseen freely by The Association for Safe Aseptic Practice, provides healthcare organizations with a mechanism by which to demonstrate effective clinical governance for aseptic technique, and commitment to infection prevention and patient safety. Accreditation criteria is based upon the following pre-requisites for safe and best practice: Policy, Education, Competency Assessment and Monitoring of Standards.

Ensuring effective clinical governance for aseptic technique across large healthcare provider organizations is best not underestimated; For example, ensuring hand hygiene competency and compliance in healthcare alone has proved highly problematic and challenging for over two decades; effective aseptic technique includes hand hygiene plus a number of other critical components. Therefore, achieving robust and effective ANTT® takes time and organizational ambition and a dedication to patient safety.

Infection Prevention Coordinator and Ward Sister, Sophie Lee who was the driving force behind achieving the accreditation for Tunbridge Wells Hospital said: “To achieve silver ANTT accreditation, staff at the Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital were trained in the principles of ANTT. We then carried out a hospital-wide audit, which involved observing aseptic techniques and assessing how safely they were being conducted. After reviewing current standards and practices we made changes where necessary.”

Hospital Director, Penny Pontet adds: “It’s taken a year of sheer hard work but to have achieved this rare accreditation for our hospital - it has truly paid off. I am very proud of what Sophie and our clinical teams have achieved, it’s another fine example of our commitment and care to our patients here at Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital - well done to all involved."

Macmillan Quality Environment Mark

We’ve been awarded the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark at Nuffield Heath Tunbridge Wells Hospital. This award was developed in collaboration with more than 400 people living with cancer, who helped to shape its criteria.

The Macmillan QEM recognises that Nuffield Heath Tunbridge Wells Hospital provides a welcoming and comfortable environment for people with cancer. It also acknowledges that we respect our visitors’ privacy, we treat you with dignity and that our facilities will help improve your well-being.