Anaesthetist nominated for prestigious NHS award

AN anaesthetist who played a leading role in dramatically improving the experience of patients undergoing hip and knee surgery at Worthing and St Richard’s hospitals is a double finalist for a prestigious awards scheme.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Oct 2014, 13:00 BST
Dr Cathryn EitelDr Cathryn Eitel
Dr Cathryn Eitel

Dr Cathryn Eitel, consultant anaesthetist for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, has made the final three in two categories of the NHS Kent Surrey and Sussex Leadership Awards 2014 - NHS Innovator of the Year and NHS Emerging Leader of the Year.

Trust chief executive Marianne Griffiths is also shortlisted for NHS Inspirational Leader of the Year, and the trust’s board is up for NHS Board/Governing Body of the Year.

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Trust chairman, Mike Viggers, said: “We are very proud to receive this recognition which I believe is testament to the dedication of all our staff, and the ever-improving and patient-centred progress we are making as a Foundation Trust.

“I would like particularly to commend our double-finalist Dr Eitel who, in collaboration with her musculoskeletal colleagues, has made such a difference to patients receiving new hips or knees in our hospitals.”

Dr Eitel has been a consultant anaesthetist for less than four years but in that time she has made an extraordinary difference to patients undergoing routine orthopaedic/elective-MSK surgery.

She has been a driving force in the development and implementation of an enhanced recovery programme for hip and knee surgery patients, known as CWERP, which has improved patients’ overall speed of recovery, from an average of seven days to under four days.

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Dr Eitel will join fellow finalist Chief Executive Marianne Griffiths and representatives of the Trust Board at the NHS KSS Leadership Summit and Awards on November 27.

Mrs Griffiths is also shortlisted for the chief executive of the Year accolade at the HSJ Awards on November 14.

Related topics:NHS