ACSA accreditation for Wrexham Maelor Hospital for high-quality patient care
21.08.2026
Wrexham Maelor Hospital has been accredited for the first time under the prestigious Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) demonstrating the hospital’s commitment to patient safety and excellence of care.
ACSA is the RCoA’s peer-reviewed scheme that promotes quality improvement and the highest standards of anaesthetic service. To receive accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate high standards in areas such as patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership.
The ACSA lead at Wrexham, Dr Anna Williams, said: “Achieving ACSA accreditation in 2026 marks a significant milestone for our anaesthetic department, reflecting nearly a decade of sustained commitment since beginning the process in 2017 and sometimes feeling like we would never get there!
“This accomplishment represents not only the culmination of extensive hard work but also a cultural shift towards continuous quality improvement and accountability. Benchmarking against other departments and the standards has provided valuable perspective, helping us to refine our processes and strive for excellence. Ultimately, this achievement is a testament to the dedication, collaboration, and resilience of the entire department who have all engaged with the process, and it reinforces our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality patient care.”
The lead reviewer on the ACSA visit, Dr Kate Glennon said: “The accreditation of Wrexham Maelor Hospital is richly deserved. The ACSA lead and departmental members have put their all into ensuring high standards of care, despite financial and other pressures.
"Exceptional provision includes an outstanding prehabilitation service which delivers a significant reduction in postoperative complications, coupled with a very well led and executed pre-operative assessment service.
"Strong interdepartmental links were evident throughout the visit – particularly with pharmacists, intensive care and a host of other allies. The smiles and dialogue between the anaesthetic team and all staff as we walked about showed this clearly. The departmental members are a cohesive and supportive bunch and retention of staff is high as a result.
“Llongyfarchiadau Wrexham Maelor!”
Lay reviewer, Dr Lucy Southee, also commented: “I would like to thank the health board for enabling me to be part of this accreditation. My role as lay reviewer offers me the insight from a patient’s perspective and I was very pleased and appreciative of the effort put in by the anaesthetic team to make the patient journey as smooth and stress free as possible. Patient information was readily available in multiple languages and formats.
“Congratulations to all involved and a well-deserved success.”
Dr Claire Shannon, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, congratulated the hospital.
"I would like to offer my personal congratulations to Wrexham Maelor Hospital on achieving their first ACSA accreditation. It’s inspiring to see the commitment and approach of the whole department and wider hospital to demonstrate such high standards in patient safety and excellence of care.”