14Spire Healthcare Annual Review 2010requiring the services of one of our five intensive care or 30 high dependency units.In 2010 Spire hospitals added 13 clinical research projects to the Spire research register, and we undertook a further 12 health technology assessments, underlining our commitment to safely introduce innovative treatments for the benefit of our patients.Our results demonstrate that not only have Spire hospitals achieved considerable gains on last year, but also that we have been able to sustain our hard-won improvements from previous years. This marks Spire Healthcare as a sophisticated organisation with the maturity to learn when things do not go to plan, and to take prompt action to effect lasting change for the better.We continue to share a broad range of performance indicators and will again this year publish a Quality Account that complies fully with the requirements set out by the NHS.Finally, we were pleased to win the coveted Laing & Buisson Independent Healthcare Award for 'Nursing Practice' for the second year in a row. This reflects our focus on attracting, developing and retaining nurses and allied health professionals of the highest calibre. Nevertheless, we remain alert to any sense of complacency, and we will continue to challenge ourselves to continuously improve the services we provide for the benefit of our patients and those who care for them.Dr Jean-Jacques de Gorter, Director of Clinical ServicesDirector of Clinical Services' statement continued Service qualityConsultant Neurosurgeon, Mr David Porter, at Spire Bristol Hospital has increased his case complexity rate in the last year as a direct result of the high-quality critical care provision."In the last few years there has been increasing investment in the ITU and critical care provision at Spire Bristol Hospital, with consultants being brought in as part of an outreach team to facilitate nurse training, increase the skill-mix and help develop the ITU as a resource. As a result of this, my confidence in the critical care function has greatly increased to the point that I have grown the number of complex surgery cases that I perform at the hospital in the last year. The high-quality care provided is mirrored by the fact that I have had no returns to theatre, zero complication rates and no need to transfer patients. In fact, all of my patients have been able to return to work and some have even progressed in their careers. I am looking forward to increasing the number of cases that I perform at the hospital."

15The high-quality care provided is mirrored by the fact that I have had no returns to theatre.""