UHD anaesthetists rewarded for high quality patient care  

University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) has been accredited under the prestigious Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) 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 Deepa Kallayiram, Consultant Anaesthetist at UHD, said: “A lot of perseverance, resilience, team effort, engagement and cooperation from colleagues across all three sites was key to achieving the accreditation.

“Increased morale and team spirit was one of the positive outcomes from this process and we are very proud of maintaining our ACSA accreditation and achieving re-accreditation.

ACSA lead reviewer, Seema Quasim said: “I would like to congratulate the Anaesthetic Department of UHD on achieving ACSA accreditation.

“The department has shown their cohesiveness despite being located on several sites and they have clearly worked hard to deliver excellent anaesthetic care across their hospitals after the merger of Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital. They have maintained a strong patient-focus after pandemic recovery and have adapted well to the new era. They have shown themselves to be forward-thinking and willing to surmount challenges. The department is really welcoming and there are some great wellbeing initiatives in place and I think it would be an attractive place to work. They should be proud of their achievements.”