Royal United Hospital, Bath

This hospital is part of Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust

General hospital information

  • Number of beds: 592
  • % of single rooms: 17%
  • Total parking spaces: 542
  • Average parking fee per hour: £1.23

Address & description

Royal United Hospital,
Combe Park, Bath, England, BA1 3NG
Tel: Work 01225 428 331
Royal United Hospital

Our Priority at the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust (RUH), is to offer the highest standards of clinical and customer care to our patients in the safest possible environment.

We provide acute treatment and care for a population of around 500,000 people in Bath and the surrounding towns and villages in Wiltshire and Somerset. We have 620 beds and offer a comprehensive range of acute services including medical, surgical, emergency and intensive care, elderly care and paediatric services, along with diagnostic and clinical support services from our site on the edge of the historic city of Bath. In addition, we deliver many oncology (cancer) services, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, some specialist orthopaedic surgery and have a neonatal intensive care unit.

Patient care and patient safety are at the heart of everything we do and recent results from a number of national healthcare surveys have shown our standards of cleanliness, survival rates and the services we offer our patients, to be very high. The National Survey of Adult Inpatients in the NHS for 2009 placed the RUH in the best performing 20% of Trusts in several areas of care and treatment including nurses’ hand hygiene, involving patients in decisions about their care and providing information for patients about their condition. Year on year, our incidence of healthcare associated infections such as MRSA and C.diff has fallen and continues to do so.  We were recently named as the best hospital car park in England by consumer champion Which? Our large number of priority spaces, comprehensive variety of payment methods and excellent patient communication helped us claim the top-spot.

* this profile text was provided by Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust

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Services at Royal United Hospital

General Services Information

Hospital Questions

  • How many single rooms are available to NHS patients at this hospital: 100
  • Of these how many have an ensuite toilet: 13
  • Of these how many have an ensuite toilet and shower or bath: 32
  • Does this hospital operate an accident and emergency unit: Yes
  • How many specialist palliative care beds are available at this hospital: 0
  • Does this hospital have a named private unit/service: No

Trust Questions

  • Does the Trust treat private patients: Yes

Patient Safety

Trust Questions

  • Is there a system for recording operations that resulted in a foreign body being left post surgery: Yes
  • What is the reporting system for a foreign body being left post surgery: Incident reporting process.
  • Is there a system for recording operations that were cancelled due to missing notes: Yes
  • What is the reporting system for operations that were cancelled due to missing notes: Incident reporting process.
  • Is there a system for recording operations that resulted in wrong site surgery taking place: Yes
  • What is the reporting system for operations that resulted in wrong site surgery taking place: Incident reporting process.
  • During the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011, how many operations resulted in a foreign body being left post surgery: 0
  • During the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011, how many operations were cancelled due to missing notes: 2
  • During the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011, how many operations resulted in wrong site surgery taking place: 0
  • How many incident investigations using a full Root Cause Analysis did were carried out in 2010/11: 20
  • What percentage of patient safety incidents resulting in severe harm or death had a full RCA initiated/completed: 100%
  • What percentage of acute inpatients have a track and trigger warning system in place for the duration of the admission: 100% commentsCase note review undertaken monthly and auditing compliance.
  • What percentage of patients are risk assessed for venous thromboembolism on admission: 91-99% commentsSample audit 2010/11
  • Compliant with all relevant NPSA safety alerts issues in 2010/11 (you can find a full list of alerts issued at http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?p=3). : No
  • Alerts where not expected to be compliant by 1st December 2011 and when expected to be compliant. : Of the alerts due for completion, the Trust is currently non-compliant with NPSA/2011/RRR001 (essential care after an inpatient fall). The specialist equipment required for training is on order.
  • Does the Trust have a policy for providing educational programmes on using and interpreting clinical indicators: No commentsInterpretation of clinical indicators is undertaken throughout the Trust to inform quality improvement, with the Clinical Outcomes Group and initiatives such as the South West Quality and Patient Safety Programme working to enhance staff engagement with these tools. While the Trust does not have a formal policy for providing this training, embedding the use of clinical indicators into the Trusts standard working behaviours forms part of the quality improvement strategy, with engagement already widespread.
  • Does the Trust have a designated member of staff who supports teams in locating and analysing safety and quality data? (support): Yes
  • Is safety and quality data available on a central platform and actively disseminated to users: Yes

Infection Control

Trust Questions

  • Does the Trust employ an antibiotic pharmacist: Yes
  • Does the Trust operate a pre-admission assessment clinic or equivalent system where patients are screened and results returned in advance of the day of admission: Yes
  • Elective patient groups screened at the pre-op assessment clinic: All elective surgical and medical
  • Are all oncology patients screened at the pre-op assessment clinic: YES
  • Are all chemotherapy patients screened at the pre-op assessment clinic: YES
  • Are all elective neurosurgery patients screened at the pre-op assessment clinic: Not Applicable
  • Are all patients with past history of MRSA screened at the pre-op assessment clinic: Yes
  • What method of MRSA screening is used when screening at admission: Culture based in 24-48hrs
  • On admission, does topical suppression take place immediately: Yes
  • Does the Trust have at least one accident and emergency unit: Yes
  • Are all patients admitted through A&E screened: Yes commentsAll patients are screened except for children, who are not in a high risk group.
  • Is screening done according to individual risk assessment: No commentsAll patients are screened except for children, who are not in a high risk group.
  • Does the Trust have a dedicated isolation ward: No
  • Protocol for isolating patients with infections: Single side rooms on wards are used for isolation.
  • Does the Trust have an isolation policy: Yes
  • Where medically appropriate, are patients with C Diff isolated in single rooms as a matter of priority: Yes
  • Does the Trust have a policy to guide the use of metronidazole and vancomycin for C.difficile infected patients: Yes
  • Does the Trust routinely isolate all patients with diarrhoea: Yes

Stroke Medicine

Hospital Questions

  • Does the hsopital have a specialist stroke unit: Yes
  • What type of stroke unit does the hospital have: combined acute and rehabilitation stroke unit
  • Number of beds in the unit: 26 commentsIncluding 4 hyper-acute beds

Trust Questions

  • Does the Trust have a specialist stroke unit or units: Yes
  • Is the Trust part of a stroke care network: Yes
  • Details: AGWS Cardiac and Stroke Network
  • How many emergency admissions with a primary diagnosis of stroke (ICD10 codes I60 - I64) did the Trust receive in the financial year (period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011): 737
  • Of these, what was the number of patients given a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan within 24 hrs of admission: 625
  • Is thrombolysis for stroke patients provided 24 hours per day and 7 days a week : Yes
  • Are there any formal arrangements with neighbouring hospitals for the emergency transfer of stroke patients who would benefit from thrombolytic treatment: No commentsThe RUH provides this service 24/7

Trauma & Orthopaedics

Trust Questions

  • Does the Trust offer a trauma service: Yes
  • Does the Trust have a dedicated trauma list available 24 hours a day for the duration of the week, (Sunday to Sunday): Yes
  • Does the Trust offer an orthopaedics service: Yes
  • Do all the Trust's orthopaedic ward/team have a linked geriatric team with whom they have regular meetings at least once a week: Yes
  • Does the Trust run a pre-operative patient education session/class for patients to attend prior to Total Knee Replacement (TKR) and Total Hip Replacement (THR)? : Yes
  • What is the estimated percentage of all patients that attend the class prior to surgery: 30
  • Does the Trust have a standardised anaesthetic protocol for Total Knee Replacement (TKR) and Total Hip Replacement (THR) patients: No commentsAll lower limb patients receive a regional anaesthetic.
  • Estimated percentage of the Trusts total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR) patients walk within 24 hours of surgery: 50
  • Does the Trust have a specialist orthopaedic physiotherapy service which is available 7 days a week: Yes
  • Not able to put a figure Patients' discharge delayed due to lack of physiotherapy services at weekends: Yes commentsUnable to estimate as delays are multifactorial.
  • Are patients for total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR) admitted prior to the day of surgery: No commentsAll patients are admitted on day of surgery.
  • Are patient records routinely recorded using a specific multi-disciplinary team THR/TKR pathway document: Yes commentsTo be expanded within the Trust's new PAS system.
  • Is this data used to monitor compliance with the agreed pathway: No commentsNot currently monitored. To be undertaken in the new Trust PAS system
  • Is criteria-based discharge used: Yes
  • Are patients routinely phoned in the first 48 hours after discharge to check on their progress: No commentsThis is not done routinely.

Paediatrics

Hospital Questions

  • Does the hospital have a paediatrics service: Yes commentsOutpatient clinics are also provided at Chippenham, Melksham, Warminster, Frome, Shepton Mallet and Paulton Community Hospitals

Trust Questions

  • Is the Trust's elective paediatric surgery carried out only by designated surgeons with at least six months training in a specialist unit: Yes
  • Do the Trust's anaesthetists with responsibility for paediatric anaesthesia participate in at least one paediatric list per week: Yes
  • Is a paediatrician on site (SpR or higher) 24 hours per day, 7 days per week: Yes
  • Are at least two registered children's nurses on duty 24hours per day in each children's ward: Yes
  • Is there a designated facility on site for parents or guardians to stay overnight: Yes

Palliative Care

Trust Questions

  • Does the Trust provide a palliative care service: Yes
  • How is specialist palliative care delivered at the hospital: A multi-disciplinary specialist palliative care team commentsThere is a palliative care team based at the RUH, made up of nurses, doctors, OT and administrative support, providing specialist advice and support to all the staff and patients throughout the hospital. All patients remain under the care of the admitting team throughout admission. The team work closely with Dorothy House Hospice, the doctors work across the two sites and the hospice provides a 24/7 advice line.
  • Does the hospital's specialist palliative team includes: A consultant in palliative medicine,A palliative care nurse commentsIn addition to the support offered by the team, there is access to a clinical psychologist if needed and there is free access to Positive Action for Cancer, a charity funded counselling service.
  • Is the Trust's specialist palliative care team available 24 hrs a day seven days a week: No commentsThere is a 24 hour advice line for staff, patients and carers to access via Dorothy House Hospice.
  • Are facilities provided to support relatives and carers who wish to stay with a patient in hospital: Yes commentsRelative Rooms' are available. The team also provide 'comfort boxes' (contains tea/coffee/toothbrush etc) to help relatives. Free car parking is also provided for relatives of patients dying in the RUH.
  • Does the Trust routinely survey and evaluate the views of patients and bereaved relatives and carers regarding the delivery of care on the end of life programme: No commentsNot formally undertaken at present.

Trust Statistics

Trust Questions

Consultants at Royal United Hospital

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