LAUSR

To evaluate the management of The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) bespoke hand surgery service on paediatric closed hand fractures. In particular, an assessment against The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) closed fracture standards on treatment timelines and national guidance compliance. A retrospective review of all paediatric patients requiring plastic surgery seen at the RD&E plastics trauma clinic from 1st Nov 2020 to 28th Feb 2021 was performed. This was compared to two previous audit cycles completed during winter 2019 and summer 2020. Health informatics was collated via our IT department and thoroughly reviewed using departmental notes. Exclusion criteria included: all non-fracture injuries, patients > 18 years old and open fractures. In winter 2020–21 all patients were referred the same day of injury and 92% were seen by a Plastic Surgeon within 24 hours of injury. This was an improvement from the mean time from referral to clinic of 5 days in winter 2019 and 1.33 days in summer 2020 respectively. 85% of cases are now operated within 48 hours of review and 92% of cases were operated within 72 hours of the decision to operate where conservative management had failed. The introduction of a ‘rapid-access’ musculoskeletal unit with early senior review and a dedicated theatre has created ‘gold-standard’ compliance with national standards for the operative management of closed paediatric fractures. We should continue to focus on improving and increasing capacity of this service as it has likely improved both the patient journey and outcomes.