Patient Safety Team of the Year

Patient Safety Team of the Year
Patient Safety Team of the Year
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Every day across the NHS there are teams which come together to find new ways to further improve patient safety. Some are specifically dedicated to safety, quality, risk or governance – taking responsibility for the performance of the entire organisation on these agendas. Others are sub-groups of larger teams – a group of safety leads within a ward nursing team, for instance. With the appointment of 700+ Patient Safety Specialists across the health and care system, a team may now also be a working group tasked on delivering specific improvement initiatives or outcomes.

This award recognises team working which has secured truly outstanding improvements in patient safety through specific initiatives designed to reduce harm and create a better patient experience.

Eligibility

Any NHS or public sector health or social care team that has come together to tackle and improve the patient safety culture and outcomes for their organisation. Entries are welcomed from collaborative groups from across organisations including those which aren’t solely NHS bodies.

Ambition

  • Describe the cultural context of the patient safety dynamic across the organisation and any relevant recent history to show why the team was brought together.
  • Detail how different departments engaged with the creation of this team, and any board-level buy-in that supported this.
  • Outline the goals and initiatives set by the team, and what measures were put in place to achieve them.

Outcome

  • Evidence that the team has directly contributed to an improvement in safety for patients.
  • This must include a quantitative aspect, for example demonstrable reductions in errors of medication administration, reductions in healthcare associated infection, a drop in adverse events etc.
  • Show how the team has directly contributed to the delivery of consistently high-quality care – this should have a quantitative aspect but can also include qualitative measures such as patient feedback.
  • Discuss how the team has helped improve integration or coordination of care across the organisation or system, and how this has led to improved safety.
  • What other benefits have been realised by the team?

Spread

  • Demonstrate how projects delivered by the team have embedded and spread throughout the organisation.
  • Alternatively, show how this work could be replicated and scaled in other settings or organisations.

Value

  • Clearly evidence how the team’s dedication to safety has improved value for patients and staff, in terms of patient experience, staff satisfaction and quality of care.
  • If possible, provide evidence of value creation in other areas, in terms of increased capacity, reduced adverse events (and therefore investigatory or litigation costs) and/or improved efficiencies.

Involvement

  • Provide clear evidence of a multidisciplinary approach, with all relevant parties fully engaging in the work, including staff at all levels as well as patients and families, and how this has led to improved safety.
  • Demonstrate how the team have helped develop a culture in which all members of staff can raise concerns and make suggestions for improvements.

To find out more

Contact Luke Adeniran for information on how to get involved with the Patient Safety Awards 2023 on 0203 004 5713 or email at luke.adeniran@wilmingtonplc.com