The Christie Charity
News story published 14 July 2022
Anaesthetists at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust have been recognised for providing the highest quality care to their patients. The Anaesthesia and Critical Care department has achieved the prestigious Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and excellence of care.
ACSA is the RCoA’s peer-reviewed scheme that promotes quality improvement and the highest standards of anaesthetic service. To receive accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate high standards in areas such as patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership.
Dr Pawel Arkuszynski, clinical director for anaesthesia and critical care at The Christie said:
“I would like to thank the whole team including our doctors, nurses, operating department practitioners (ODPs), admin staff, managers, and governance team for working so hard to achieve the ACSA accreditation. Patient safety is of the highest importance to The Christie and is paramount to all the staff here. I am so proud and pleased that it has been formally recognised.
“Special thanks to Dr Larysa Duniec and Dr Lauren Oswald for leading the anaesthetic department through the complex process.”
Dr Fiona Donald, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said:
“I would like to offer my personal congratulations to the entire anaesthetic department on achieving ACSA accreditation. It is richly deserved and demonstrates their commitment to providing the best possible care for their patients.
“Patient safety is at the heart of what we do as a Medical Royal College. The quality improvement demonstrated during the accreditation process has helped the department manage the immense tasks presented to them by COVID-19 and the resumption of normal services.
“It was fantastic to see the many innovative practices taking place at The Christie which helps them work in an integrated way, keeping patients as the primary focus and delivering excellent flexibility to match patient’s needs.
“As well as meeting the standards, the department demonstrated many areas of excellent advanced practice that have now been highlighted for sharing through the ACSA network.”
The team was recently presented with a plaque to mark the achievement. Pictured is front row: Dr Pawel Arzkuszynski (clinical director for anaesthesia and critical care), Dr Russell Perkins (Vice President, Royal College of Anaesthetists), Dr John Barnes (consultant anaesthetist); back row: Rachael Hastwell (operational manager for anaesthetics), Roger Spencer (chief executive), Becky Godwin (anaesthetic and theatre support manager) and Caroline Friskney (anaesthetics and theatre performance officer)