The National Intestinal Failure Reference Centre at Salford Royal recently had a prestigious visit from the President and Council Members of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to learn about the highly specialised treatment our internationally recognised centre of excellence provides.
Professor Rowan Parks was accompanied by the Dean of Faculty, Professor Grant McIntyre and consultant paediatric surgeon, Miss Amanda McCabe. They were welcomed by Professor Simon Lal and Senior Nurse, Cathy Cawley, as well as Jude Adams, NCA Chief Delivery Officer, and Dr Mark Kellet, Salford Medical Director.
The Royal College discussed the commissioning of specialised services for intestinal failure in Scotland and had a tour of the unit.
The unit started from a four-bed ward in the 1970s and it now has 21 beds. It is currently one of only two National Reference Centres for intestinal failure in the country, the other being at St. Mark’s Hospital in London. The unit’s combination of surgical, nursing, dietetic and psychological care enables it to treat patients with complicated cases of type two and type three intestinal failure both from the UK and from abroad.
The internationality of this work was also acknowledged and celebrated a few days later when the team hosted their twelfth consecutive annual European Nutrition Society (ESPEN)- endorsed Intestinal Failure Conference. Multi-national and multi-disciplinary clinicians spent two days with the team discussing cases, doing ward rounds, and participating in hands-on workshops.
Jude Adams, NCA Chief Delivery Officer, said “it is always rewarding to see the work of colleagues being recognised both nationally and internationally. Having Salford as a National Reference Centre illustrates even more the brilliant and ground-breaking work that helps make patients’ lives a little bit better and inspires clinical institutions across the world.”
Attendees included medical consultants and nurses from the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, USA) and the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden), Slovenia, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Estonia, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Denmark reflecting once again the international reputation that Salford holds in the intestinal failure arena.
The feedback received was excellent, with delegates highlighting that the lessons learned will help them develop services in their own countries and that they hoped to build long-term networks and relationships with the Salford team.
