WARRINGTON and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s (WHH) Echo team has become the only service in Cheshire and one of only three in Cheshire and Merseyside to be recognised by the British Society of Echocardiography, after undergoing a rigorous application and inspection process taking over 12 months.
It is a recognised benchmark of quality and demonstrates that the department meets quality and safety standards.
Echocardiography services – an imaging test that uses ultrasound to monitor the heart function – are provided by healthcare scientists, cardiac physiologists and cardiologists, all of whom must hold individual accreditation as a mark of being competent to practice. Departmental accreditation signifies that not only are all echocardiographers individually accredited, but also the equipment and processes are of an appropriate clinical standard to ensure safe and effective patient care. It was deemed that WHH meets the very high standards of the British Society expectations for a safe and effective echo service. The Society also noted the team’s exemplary training and continued professional development offering for staff.
Dr Ioannis Moukas, Consultant Cardiologist – Imaging Lead, said: “I am extremely proud of the whole team following months of hard work to gain this accreditation. We all work extremely hard to maintain high standards of care across both sites at Warrington and Halton and receiving the accreditation is formal confirmation of this.”
