The safety of the patient is always an important issue in health care settings, both in medical and mental health care settings. However, when caring for someone experiencing mental ill health, there are very often additional challenges in delivering safe care, for example protecting vulnerable patients from sexual harm, managing a patient’s risk of self-harm, or ensuring a safe environment for staff and patients with minimal use of restrictive practices.
In line with the NHS Long Term Plan and the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, a focus on patient safety and experience is driving changes in pathways, structures and the way services user interact with their treatment. This award will highlight initiatives which have delivered compassionate, efficient and most importantly safe services for people with mental health conditions.
Eligibility
Judges are seeking projects that have demonstrably increased the safety and reliability of care for those with mental ill health, whether generally or for a specific condition or need. NHS and private providers of mental health services, both in primary and secondary care, and their partner organisations in the public sector are welcome to enter.