Derry Altnagelvin Medical Director says hospital fatalities rates has decreased

The data was provided by CHKS, which is a provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement service.

Dr. Brendan Lavery said the independent data shows after the temporary change, when Altnagelvin Hospital temporarily became the central location for emergency general surgery, patients had improved outcomes.

“Our outcomes in patient safety have to be a primary concern, we need to make sure that every patient in the Western Trust gets the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Lavery.

The mortality rate was reviewed using the Risk-Adjusted Mortality Index, a method that compares hospital death rates by accounting for individual patient risk factors such as age, sex, and admission type. This helps hospitals determine if their death rate is higher or lower than expected.

The Public Health Authority independently reviewed the data, Dr. Brendan Lavery said: “They have included that there is no evidence of an increase in hospital fatality following the service change.

“We have a trend of decreasing mortality of deaths in Altnagelvin general surgery, from January 2019 until the most recent figures which is currently September 2024.”

From January 2023 to September 2024, Altnagelvin Emergency General Surgery scored 86 in the Risk-Adjusted Mortality Index, which Dr. Lavery described as a “very significant difference in mortality scores.”

During the board meeting, Mark Gillespie, Director of Surgery, Paediatrics and Women’s Health, shared how patients in Altnagelvin rated their overall experience.

Mr Gillespie said: “In terms of feedback, we have confirmed that 77% of patients rated their overall experience as good or excellent, majority agreed or strongly agreed that they received a good standard of care in both South West Acute Hospital and Altnagelvin.

Gillespie also highlighted some improvements that were requested.

“Some patients confirmed that communication with staff can be improved. Key themes were long waits for follow up appointments, improvements in staff communications. A number of patients actually concluded and indicated that no improvements were needed and that they were really happy with the care that they have received,” said Gillespie.