News

An enhanced recovery programme for colorectal patients at Kettering General Hospital has been shortlisted for a national award after delivering some of the shortest post-surgery patient stays in hospital in the country.

 It is in the finals of the Technology and Data in Nursing section of the Nursing Times Awards 2026 for the way it uses technology, combined with nursing support, to help patients prepare for surgery and monitor them afterwards.

 The programme is delivered by team of doctors and nurses working together including Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Melanie Moore, Lead Colorectal Nurse Practitioner, Sarah Raubenheimer, the Geddington Surgical Ward team, consultant colorectal surgeon, Mr Ashish Kelkar, and Associate Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Mr Faizal Rayan.

 Advanced Nurse Practitioner Melanie Moore said: “Our enhanced recovery programme is doing extraordinarily well.

 “Our length of stay for colorectal cancer surgery is now 3.5 days - the shortest in the country out of all 116 acute hospitals.

 “We also have some of the shortest stays for other kinds of colorectal surgery.

 “The reason we can enable our patients to go home so quickly is a combination of the way we prepare them for surgery, how we monitor and actively work with them after surgery, and how we use technology to stay in close touch with them throughout  their surgical journey which is very reassuring for the patient and helps prevent readmissions.”

In 2020 KGH Associate Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedics at KGH, Mr Faizal Rayan, worked with an innovative London based startup, founded by NHS clinicians, to create Post Op - a mobile phone online app that can be linked to an individual patient and their hospital care.

The app enables patients to engage with clinicians throughout their surgical journey including pre-operatively, during their time in hospital, and in their recovery after leaving hospital.

It captures information for clinical action that is critical for better wound care, pain management, and postoperative recovery, and enables patients to answer key questions about their recovery through questionnaires as well as enabling them to post pictures and video of their wounds for doctors and nurses to study.

Using the app provides patients with great reassurance their recovery is progressing and helps them save time and money by reducing the need to attend hospital follow-up appointments.

 Geddington Ward Sister Anna Patrick said: ”We are providing a package of enhanced recovery care that is one of the best in the country.

“We have a team who know what needs to be done and are dedicated to doing it so that patients get through their surgery as well as possible.

“We then help them walk, eat, and gain confidence so they can go home as soon as possible. They do this with the reassurance they get from continuing to be closely monitored by the surgical team through the PostOp app.”

Lead Colorectal Nurse Practitioner Sarah Raubenheimer said: “The enhanced recovery programme is a real team effort. It works because everyone knows what to do and they are committed to doing it every time for the benefit of our patients.”

The Nursing Times Award have received more than 800 entries from health and social care organisations across the county and 42 entries were made into the Technology and Data in Nursing category that KGH is competing in.

KGH is now in the top ten entries shortlisted for finals of the awards which are being held in London on October 29, 2026.