Improving safety for older people initiative of the year

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Improving safety for older people initiative of the year
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How to apply

  1. Register an account.
  2. Start your entry (save it in-progress).
  3. Submit your entry to be in the running.

Best of luck!

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As life expectancy increases, so too does the number of older people living with highly complex healthcare needs. Much research has demonstrated the scale of the issue and the need to find better ways to care for our older citizens and minimise risk. Alongside the growing demand for end-of-life care in the face of an ageing population, other issues such as falls, and pressure ulcers may be a risk at end of life. Plus, with many patients on multiple medications, there is also the risk of drug errors.

Our judges will be looking for work that increases the quality as well as the safety of patient experience, perhaps by making it easier for multiple healthcare professionals to feed into an individual’s care, closely monitoring patients at risk of rapid deterioration or ensuring the patient, and not just their relatives, is involved in decisions around their care. This award will celebrate and recognise those organisations acting to provide consistently safe, high-quality care to older people. That will undoubtedly include teams in hospices and those working in any other part of the health and care system.

Eligibility

Entries are welcomed from those working to improve geriatric and older person’s care within the NHS and wider public health and care sector. Judges are looking for projects which can demonstrate patient safety at their core but have experience, care, staff morale, training and awareness as drivers.

Ambition

  • Describe the context of the care operation, including the organisation’s position within the health and social care system and integration with other related bodies.
  • Identify the need for improvement in care and what steps were taken to put this initiative in place.
  • Outline the goals set, what checks, and balances were in place, and how success could be measured.
  • Explain how the initiative was informed by existing best practice or evidence.

Outcome

  • Evidence that the initiative has led to an improvement in patient care as a direct result of the initiative.
  • This must include a quantitative aspect and can cover any aspect of the safe delivery of care but can also include qualitative measures such as patient feedback.
  • Discuss how the initiative has helped improve integration across organisations in the care of older people, and how this has led to improved safety.
  • What other benefits have been realised as a result of the project?

Spread

  • How have your team worked within your organisation to disseminate the success of this initiative? Are the achievements being replicated or scaled within other departments, specialisms or organisations?
  • Describe any work that partner or collaborating organisations have done to share results.

Value

  • Demonstrate how the initiative has enhanced the patient experience or ability of staff to manage care more effectively.
  • Outline how any collaborative or partnership work, redesign of pathways or treatments, or training has helped deliver financial value as well as value to the patient.
  • Provide testimonials from patients and stakeholders to help support the entry.

Involvement

  • Show how patients were involved in decisions around their care, and their views were embedded in the design of the initiative.
  • Evidence how a multidisciplinary approach was taken, with all relevant parties fully engaging in the work. This should include managers, medics and nurses as well as patients and families.
  • Display how other relevant parties were involved in the initiative, including families, carers, collaborating organisations, key stakeholders and staff, and how this has led to improved safety.
  • Provide detailed evidence which supports a culture in which all members of staff can raise concerns and make suggestions for improvements.

Improving safety for older people initiative of the year

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To find out more

Partnership opportunities:  Sponsorship Sales Team
Awards entry enquiries: Delegate Sales Team
Judging and event management: Awards Support