A failure to speedily spot the sometimes-subtle signs of a patient’s deteriorating condition can be a major cause of avoidable harm in healthcare. Diagnosing potentially deadly issues such as sepsis or acute kidney injury – or speedily recognising the predictors of cardiopulmonary arrest or acute heart failure – involves consideration of a range of information. For harm to be avoided, it is also necessary to have clear processes in place to alert the right clinician to the issue at the right time.
The award will recognise individuals or teams of clinicians such as rapid response/medical emergency/critical care outreach teams, resuscitation or similar services that have demonstrably improved care processes and outcomes of deteriorating patients or patients at-risk of deterioration. This could include identification and care of acutely ill patients who are also at the end of life.
Eligibility
Entries are welcomed from across the NHS and public sector health and social care system, from groups who have proactively identified and addressed issues relating to deterioration in a specific cohort of patients.