A new spinal improvement partnership in the UK aims to ensure medical products are safe and effective for patients.
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust will become the first centre of excellence for spinal services to give surgeons and medical device manufacturers detailed insight on the long-term effectiveness of spinal surgeries and implants through a new partnership with Northgate Public Services (NPS).
The partnership will see reports made available to the people who develop and manufacture medical devices which will allow them to assess exactly how effective the devices have been at improving the health and quality of life for the patients receiving them.
Patient safety
The Spinal Improvement Partnership (SIP) team are working with device manufacturers to speed up and improve the cycle for collection and analysis of clinically relevant data.
Richard Armstrong, head of health registries at Northgate Public Services, said: “This partnership represents a maturity in the relationship between hospitals and medical device suppliers, both of whom have a fundamental interest in ensuring products are safe and effective. Having access to accurate information on the success of treatments involving medical devices in different patient groups is essential for improving patients’ long-term prospects for recovery. Our partnership with The Walton Centre will put better information into the hands of those who need it to improve treatments and keep patients safe.”
The Walton Centre is an active contributor to Spine Tango, an international spinal registry from EUROSPINE that tracks and monitors outcomes for patients of spinal and neck injuries. The latest development builds upon the data routinely collected in the registry, enabling clinicians and manufacturers to collate and review additional information to ensure a device is safe, achieves the intended clinical benefits and to also inform decisions about patient treatment options.
Tim Pigott, consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre, said: “Through our partnership with NPS, we have created a fantastic model for combining clinical expertise with a rich data set recorded in the Spine Tango registry. We are now putting this data to use on an ongoing basis to continually improve patient safety and the effectiveness of medical implants and devices used in spinal procedures.”
