Elderly patients with broken hips receive some of the best care in the country at St Helier Hospital, according to a report.

The National Hip Fracture Database measured 177 hospitals against a number of clinical standards, and showed that St Helier provides some of the safest and most useful care in England.

This is despite it being the second busiest hip fracture unit in London, seeing 447 patients a year.

Dr Nivi Singh, consultant orthogeriatrician, said: “A broken hip is a significant injury for older people and the road to recovery can be an uphill struggle – it’s therefore absolutely vital that patients get the expert care that they need as soon as possible. The latest report from the National Hip Fracture Database reflects our commitment to providing this high level of care in a timely way, and we are really pleased with the results.”

St Helier has the lowest mortality rate in London, and is in the lowest three country-wide, with 3 per cent – against a national average of 6.8 per cent.

It also came second in the country for the Department of Health’s Best Practice Tariff – a measure that takes into account eight different standards in hip fracture care, including patients being in surgery less than 36 hours after coming to hospital, geriatrician assessments being given within 72 hours and undergoing a specialist falls assessment.

Andrea Sott, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and clinical director for Trauma & Orthopaedics at Epsom and St Helier said: “In 2010, we established a dedicated hip fracture unit within the hospital, which houses a network of experts who are all key to the treatment and recovery process.

“We changed the daily trauma list order to make these vulnerable patients our top priority as a hip fracture can seriously affect quality of life and expectancy of survival. Our team includes consultant orthopaedic surgeons like myself (who deal with operations and procedures involving the bones and joints); consultant anaesthetists (specialist doctors who control the level of unconsciousness our patients’ need during operations); a dedicated consultant orthogeriatrician; senior nurses; therapists and dieticians.

“By working together in one place, we can make sure our patients get timely expert surgical treatment, consistent care, with reviews from senior clinicians and support staff throughout their stay.”