OLDER patients needing general surgery at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital are getting better quality care and being treated sooner thanks to tailored treatment plans.

They are also getting assessed for their wider health and wellbeing by geriatricians who look at their medical, psychological and functional capability.

A treatment plan and long term follow-up care will then be drawn up tailored to individual patients.

Clinicians involved in the Proactive Care of Older Adults Undergoing Surgery (POPS) have already reported a number of significant improvements in the care of patients.

They were also able to spot previously undiagnosed syndromes and medical problems through their additional assessments and reviews.

Figures show that patients involved in the study were able to go home on average half a day earlier than before, which helped reduce the risk of some complications associated with longer hospital stays.

During the first 12 months of the project, which began in November 2016 and focussed on people having colorectal or upper gastro-intestinal operations, almost 600 beds were freed up for other patients to use.

Dr Nahida Bashir, care of the elderly consultant at Musgrove, said: "This service has shown that where geriatricians and surgeons work together, we can improve the care of older surgical patients who are in hospital."