The pioneering Centre for Perioperative Care launched to improve patients’ lives and save the NHS money

The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) was launched on Monday 20 May by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, as a cross-specialty, national centre dedicated to the promotion, advancement and development of perioperative care.

CPOC will facilitate and encourage cross-organisational and new ways of working to enhance and improve the perioperative care of patients. CPOC is based at the College and Dr David Selwyn, deputy medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, has been appointed as the inaugural CPOC Director.

The initial work of CPOC will build on the foundations of existing College perioperative care work streams alongside partner organisations including the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Royal College of Physicians of England, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of Anaesthetists. CPOC will involve multiple stakeholders from a broad representation of Medical Royal Colleges and patient groups.

The centre will also work closely with NHS England and the equivalent bodies responsible for healthcare policy in the other UK devolved nations. Work from the centre will be aligned with the Colleges’ global and sustainability strategies.

Working with CPOC partners, the College will champion the ‘prehab to rehab’ model which is at the heart of perioperative care. Building on the national shift toward cohesive care systems outlined in NHS England’s Long Term Plan, CPOC will work to inspire professionals and hospitals to better prepare patients for their surgery, increase coordination between specialities and provide a cohesive aftercare programme to enhance recovery and improve quality of life following surgery. Championing better care standards, greater patient outcomes and a cost effective NHS.

Professor Ravi Mahajan, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists said:

“The launch of the Centre for Perioperative Care is a significant step forward for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals across multiple specialties to achieving greater integration of care and a truly multidisciplinary healthcare system. CPOC will encourage a seamless journey for patients from the moment that surgery is contemplated, through to full recovery.

“Evidence has shown that a perioperative approach leads to better patient outcomes with reduced number of days in hospital and reduced healthcare costs. We believe that through the integration of services, and embracing shared-decision making, CPOC can become a world leader in the development of the perioperative care agenda and initiatives.

“Every extra day a patient spends in hospital costs the NHS approximately £350. With one in 10 UK residents needing surgery every year, CPOC will aim to combine the best practice examples already being delivered in hospitals and Trusts across the UK, into shared solutions to improve patients’ lives as well as taking the pressure off an already severely pressurised health system.

“I would like to congratulate Dr David Selwyn for being appointed CPOC Director. I and the other Presidents of the Medical Royal Colleges look forward to working closely with him to progress this partnership.”

Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England said:

“Ensuring a patient gets the best possible care before, during and after an operation can help decrease complications, reduce readmissions and increase quality of life. There’s therefore a real opportunity both to improve outcomes for patients as well as drive better value for money across the NHS, and I look forward to working with colleagues at the Centre to achieve those ambitions.”

Miss Susan Hill, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said:

“The RCS is collaborating with RCoA in establishing a Centre for Perioperative Care. This is an ambitious project which will involve patients, general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, perioperative physicians, dieticians, anaesthetists and surgeons. It will be an innovative multidisciplinary partnership with each patient to ensure that each individual is optimally prepared for their operation both physically and psychologically.”

Wendy Preston, RCN Head of Nursing Practice said:

“Nurses have always worked in partnership across all parts of healthcare. Ensuring patients have access to the highest quality care throughout their entire treatment is vital to ensuring the best outcomes for patients.

"Working together across all parts of the health and social care system can help to ensure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time and help to give patients the care they need throughout the entire process of their treatment. From diagnosis, through treatment and recovery at home making sure all those involved in the treatment process are linked together is vital to improving care and ultimately outcomes for patient.”

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

“While GPs are not routinely based in hospitals, we have a vitally important role to play in helping our patients prepare for operations; building individualised care plans, and providing support where people want it most – close to home, in the community.

"GPs and their teams are already working hard to do this, but improved coordination between us and our secondary care colleagues is needed and will ultimately make it much easier for patients to get the care they need and deserve. Working in multi-disciplinary teams is the future of healthcare, and we look forward to seeing how the Centre of Perioperative Care (CPOC) positively contributes to this.”

Dr Kathleen Ferguson, President of the Association of Anaesthetists said:

“The Association of Anaesthetists is proud to be part of the CPOC initiative. The CPOC objectives explicitly place the patient at the centre of everything healthcare professionals do in delivering perioperative care.

"Although this concept has been an aspiration for all modern healthcare systems for some time, CPOC will facilitate this happening for patients in our NHS today. It’s an exciting time for anaesthetists as we continue to develop and enhance our skills and embrace the model of “prehab to rehab” for the betterment of patient care.”

References
1. NHS Improvement Reference costs 2017/18  published November 2018.
2. British Journal of Anaesthesia: - ‘Frequency of surgical treatment and related hospital procedures in the UK: a national ecological study using hospital episode statistics’  published on August 2017.