A new report shows Stepping Hill Hospital is the safest general hospital in the country for emergency abdominal surgery.

The latest annual report from the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit show Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, the trust which runs the hospital, as being in the top four trusts in the country in terms of survival rates for emergency laparatomies during the year December 2018 – November 2019. They were also the best for a general hospital, with one quarter of the expected number of deaths according to national figures.

An emergency laparotomy is an operation carried out for some of the sickest patients in the NHS who have suffered major abdominal problems and will die without surgery. Common examples of this include perforations (a hole in the intestine) and obstruction (blockages of the intestine). Stepping Hill Hospital carried out 129 of these operations during the year.

Care for patients with these serious conditions involves close co-operation and team-working from many staff at the hospital, not just from the surgical theatre teams, but also from those critical care, emergency department (A&E), surgical wards, radiology, and lab teams as well.

One patient who experienced this treatment and  care was Michael Nightingale, 35, from Davenport in Stockport. Experiencing severe abdominal pains, he was taken to Stepping Hill Hospital’s emergency department (A&E). A hospital CT scan identified that Michael had a twisted bowel, a previously undetected condition from his childhood. Within hours of the scan Michael was in surgical theatres and having the laparotomy carried out. Recovery over the next few days was difficult as Michael had complications with internal bleeding, but the surgical ward team’s aftercare enabled him to recover successfully , and within a week he was able to go home.

Michael says “This was a hugely distressing experience for me, and for mother and partner too, but all the staff we spoke to were so caring and did their absolute best to provide us with assurance and put us at our ease. Both before and after surgery the clarity of the diagnosis, and the clear and calm way it was given to us was an enormous help, telling us all we needed to know. Their expertise saved my life and I’m so grateful.”

The trust’s results in the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit have sustainably improved over the last three years, leading to around ten more patients surviving each year. It has been working in partnership with the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership to ensure quality improvement, with a particular emphasis on the critical importance of early diagnosis with CT scan helping to ensure more patients survive.

Natasha Henley, Clinical Director for General Surgery  at Stepping Hill Hospital said “We are very pleased to see that the latest National Emergency Laparotomy Audit has confirmed that our hard work has led to significant improvements for patients with survival now comparing with the best in the country. This is a result of getting all the best processes in place and a real team effort from all of the many staff from all different areas working together to include every patient has the best possible chance of recovery, and also the support and expertise of others in the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership too.”