Royal Surrey’s Pre-op Assessment team scoops second award of the year
A collaboration between Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust’s Pre-op Assessment team and digital health technology company, Definition Health, scooped a Health Service Journal (HSJ) award on Thursday.
The partnership’s award-winning project launched the Definition LifeBox app, which allows patients to complete pre-assessment questionnaires ahead of their surgery from the comfort of their own home.
The award is the second win this year for Royal Surrey’s Dr Harsh Saxena, Consultant Anaesthetist; Michelle Dudley, Pre-op Assessment team leader and Rebecca Tucker, Lead Pre-Assessment Sister who were recognised with an HSJ Partnership Award in March.
Reflecting on the achievement, Dr Saxena said: “We are very proud of this recognition. I feel blessed to be leading such a motivated team and I want to thank everyone involved, both clinical frontline staff and behind-the-scenes management colleagues, for all the hard work that has gone into making the app a success.”
He added: “The benefits of using LifeBox are many and include being able to empower patients and engage them more fully in their own care, educating them about their surgical procedure and facilitating smooth admission. It also allows us to improve standardisation of patient care and reduce unnecessary hospital visits.”
Michelle said: “This award is our second of the year and just proves what a dedicated Pre-op Assessment team we have. All our work has paid off and I’m so proud of everyone.”
The Definition LifeBox app was introduced to Royal Surrey in May last year. The app generates patient-specific questions to identify the individual’s level of risk ensuring they are ‘surgery-ready’.
Two-way file sharing between the Trust and the patient allows for a secure exchange of information, such as test results, fasting advice and useful guidance to reassure and inform patients. Medical concerns, such as blood pressure or anaemia, can be picked up in the early stages and brought under control, greatly improving outcomes and preventing last-minute cancellations.
“We are all absolutely delighted for ourselves and our partner, Royal Surrey, to win this prestigious award,” said Sandeep Chauhan, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of Definition Health, which is based at the Sussex Innovation Centre in Falmer.
“Our digital solutions have raised the bar when it comes to reducing patient risk and improving time and cost efficiencies across the NHS, but we can’t do that without strong partnerships with the hospital teams – together we can improve patient care and drive an enhanced patient experience.”
Photo shows Dr Harsh Saxena (sixth from left), Michelle Dudley (seventh from left) and Rebecca Tucker (fifth from right).