Emergency laparotomy, a high-risk procedure involving incision to access the abdominal cavity 30 day patient mortality is reported at 14.9%, rising to 24.4% for those over 80 years old. Patients surviving may face post-operative complications and long hospital stays. Reports have shown widely varying care standards.

In collaboration with Royal Surrey County Hospital and the Academic Health Services Network (AHSN), CHSS has been awarded a two-year Health Foundation scaling-up grant. The project will roll out a programme to improve patient outcomes in emergency laparotomy; adopting an evidenced-based quality improvement care bundle known as the Emergency Laparotomy Quality Care pathway (QLPQulC).Twenty hospitals are involved spanning three AHSN areas including Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The care bundle was developed and introduced at the Royal Surrey and three other hospitals.  Results have shown improvements in care standards, with 30 day mortality reduced by 25% and risk adjusted hospital mortality by 42%. The current programme aims to deliver similar reductions in mortality across at least 20 hospitals.

CHSS will undertake an evaluation, examining the process of rolling out the programme, uptake in the 20 hospitals, and whether it delivers expected levels of patient benefit.

Start date: 01/03/2015 End date: 31/08/2017

Funder: The Health Foundation

Funding: £142,675