ANAESTHETISTS from Arrowe Park Hospital have been honoured for providing 'the highest quality care' to local patients.

They received the prestigious Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) during a ceremony this week.

ACSA is the Royal College of Anaesthetists' scheme which promotes quality improvement and high standards.

To receive accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate a high standard in areas such as patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership.

Dr Sheila Carey, consultant anaesthetist at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust said: "We are delighted to have accomplished the standards required of the ACSA process and achieve accreditation.

"As part of the accreditation process we managed to develop and expand services, update infrastructure and secure additional staff and training opportunities by adopting the ACSA standards, which undoubtedly enhance the quality and safety of the services we deliver.

"Although requiring hard work and perseverance, the benefits of enrolling in this scheme have been rewarding on many different levels, but ultimately, gaining the external assurance for our patients, that our services are of a high standard, is immensely satisfying."

Professor Ravi Mahajan, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said: "Patient safety is at the heart of what we do as a medical Royal College.

"The achievement and maintenance of ACSA's robust standards encourage departments to constantly improve the care they provide.

"It is very pleasing to find the anaesthetic department of the Trust to be providing high quality and consistent standards.

"It was impressive to see the team use the process to develop and enhance the quality of the service they provided across the hospital.

"I would like to personally congratulate them for their commitment to providing the best possible care for their patients."