TWO pioneering initiatives benefiting patients at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been shortlisted for the finals of one of the most prestigious health service award schemes.
The hospitals’ acute care team and “hello my name is…would you like a drink?” project have been shortlisted for this year’s Health Service Journal Awards.
It’s the first time that the trust has had two teams shortlisted in the awards that celebrate the best initiatives benefitting patients in the NHS.
The acute care team have been shortlisted in the acute (hospital) sector innovation category. The team of doctors, nurses and specially trained practitioners have redesigned the way that the hospital monitor patients and respond to any patient whose condition deteriorates on the
wards.
It includes new systems of summoning an emergency response from doctors, redesigning out of hours and weekend support and reviewing patients. Evidence has shown it has led to falls in the number of patients having cardiac arrests and in overall mortality.
The “hello my name is…would you like a drink?” campaign was initiated by Janet Green a nurse practitioner at the hospitals. It was designed to ensure that patients are constantly hydrated in hospital by encouraging staff to always be asking if a patient needs water and ensuring that it is in easy reach for them.
The campaign was taken up by staff across the hospitals and also included other ways of identifying patients who come into hospital with hydration issues. It’s shortlisted in the compassionate patient care category.
Both shortlisted nominees will now present their projects to the judging panels in the next few weeks before the awards take place in November.
Trust chief executive Mel Pickup said:“We’re delighted to see that two of our projects that are having a real impact on patient safety in our hospitals have been shortlisted for the HSJ awards. They’re the highest profile awards for the health service and as well as showcasing the fantastic work taking place here at the hospitals, they give us the chance to share our best practice with other organisations.”
Work at the trust has been nominated in a number of national awards this year with work on providing best care for broken hips in the National Patient Safety Awards and the pioneering Forget Me Not unit in the Alzheimer’s Society dementia friendly awards.
The Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards, is the largest celebration of excellence in UK healthcare, highlighting the most innovative and successful people and projects in the sector.
The awards were created in 1981 to recognise, on a national platform, the projects and initiatives that deliver healthcare excellence and innovation. By shining a spotlight on cutting-edge innovations and best practice, the awards give impetus to improving the quality of health care in the UK.
This year, over 600 unique organisations submitted over 1600 entries. The shortlisted organisations, will now complete presentations and interviews to a specific judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector.
Alastair McLellan, editor of Health Service Journal, said: “The NHS is experiencing one of the toughest periods in its 67 year history, with demand and expectation rising and funding in short supply. The fact that the HSJ Awards has seen the biggest ever increase in entries shows the service remains undaunted in its mission to provide world beating patient care.”
Halton Hospital
