The impact of the introduction of a multi-professional altered airway ward round on improving patient safety

Multidisciplinary tracheostomy teams have been implemented in acute hospital settings for over ten years. There is evidence that this initiative contributes to a reduction in total tracheostomy time and an increase in speaking valve use for patients leading to improved quality of life [1]. The recent NCEPOD safe trache report recommended a number of safety factors to maintain patient wellbeing in this cohort [2]. We investigated whether the introduction of a multidisciplinary tracheostomy team had an impact on the reduction of adverse incidents.