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Great Ormond Street Hospital piloting safer surgery initiative

25 June 2008

The World Health Organization's (WHO) ‘Safe Surgery Saves Lives’ initiative will be formally launched in Washington today (Wednesday 25 June 2008). 

WHO has undertaken a number of global and regional initiatives to address surgical safety, and as part of the ‘Safe Surgery Saves Lives’ initiative the World Patient Safety Alliance has developed a ‘Surgical Safety Checklist’ to reinforce safe practice in the operating theatre.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust (GOSH) has been using a modified version of the checklist, integrated to fit with hospital practice, in Cardiac theatres over the last two months. 

GOSH consultant Dr Isabeau Walker has been a driving force behind developing and implementing the checklist at GOSH.  She has also acted as an expert advisor to WHO giving input on the checklist in January 2008.
Please see WHO website for further information: http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/launch/en/index.html

Contact information:

Hayley Dodman, GOSH-ICH press office: 020 7239 3126
Email: dodmah@gosh.nhs.uk
For genuine and urgent out of hours call speak to switchboard on 020 7405 9200

Notes to editors

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust is the country’s leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof.

With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside the US and play a key role in training children’s health specialists for the future.

Our charity needs to raise £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research. With your help we provide world class care to our very ill children and their families.

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