24 April 2017

Sheffield Hospitals triple finalist in national Patient Safety Awards


Trust receives hattrick of nominations from one of most influential national healthcare awards


Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been named a triple finalist in a prestigious national award scheme rewarding outstanding practice in patient safety.

A bespoke IT system which has helped multiple sclerosis patients receive potentially life-changing, new therapies safely; a care plan that paints a picture of how a patient manages at home; and a new incident training programme have all been nominated for a 2017 Patient Safety Award.

Run by the Health Service Journal, the Patient Safety Awards are considered to be one of the most influential in the healthcare sector.

In the spotlight for the Clinical Governance & Risk Management award are the MS disease-modifying therapies team. The team, along with informatics colleagues have developed a new, flexible IT management system to ensure that specialists have easy access to vital information about patients’ treatment, blood tests and prescriptions. The improved monitoring of the increasing numbers of therapies, has enabled them to safely offer treatments that are more effective to nearly 40% more patients across the region compared to seven years ago. These therapies – which are changing the landscape for multiple sclerosis treatment – have significant benefit for patients, but need complex administration and careful blood monitoring.

The second finalist in the awards is the ‘Okay to Stay Plan’ which has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Managing Long Term Conditions’ category. The plan is drawn up by a community health care professional, and involves the patient and everyone involved in their care, including their carers/relatives, their GP and third sector voluntary organisations. The Okay to Stay plan helps to paint a picture of how a patient with a long term health condition manages at home including the support they need to manage an exacerbation of their condition. The plan can be accessed by health professionals such as paramedics or out of hours GPs, to help make decisions to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

Finally, a new training programme delivered within the Trust’s Combined Community and Acute Care Group is in the running for an ‘Education and Training’ award. Providing services across nine different hospital ward areas, including elderly care, stroke and speech and language therapy, the new programme aims to further improve patient safety.

Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am delighted that three of our teams have received national recognition for their contribution towards improving patient safety. Our staff work incredibly hard to make a difference to patient safety ensuring reporting and accountability is robust, and the triple award nominations show the clear impact our work is having within our own organisation but also how it can provide learning or benefit for the wider NHS.”

Winners will be announced on Tuesday 4th July at a special awards ceremony at Manchester Central, Manchester.

ENDS

Photo: the MS disease-modifying therapies team.
 



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