Primary Care Initiative of the Year

PSA
Primary Care Initiative of the Year
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High quality patient care at every contact is the aim of primary care teams across the NHS. However studies suggest there are common safety challenges related to making the right diagnosis, delays in referring patients to hospitals and prescribing errors.

The NHS Long Term Plan described several new ways of working in primary and community care that can increase the focus on patient safety, including the development of integrated care services, the Digital Minor Illness Referral Service, and the work of ‘extensivists’ – GPs working in the community but able to follow patients into hospital. Digital strategies also offer several mechanisms to address issues that contribute to patient safety in primary care. This award will recognise primary care teams that have found new ways to deliver consistently safe care.

Eligibility

This award is open to all NHS primary care teams who can demonstrate improved patient safety and outcomes.

Ambition

  • Provide a clear rationale for the work and provide context as to why the initiative or improvements were required.
  • What was the ambition for the project, and how did this draw on, or differ from, existing best practice?
  • Outline the targets set for patient safety and quality improvement, and what measures were put in place to achieve them.

Outcome

  • Clearly demonstrate the benefits of the initiative on quality of care, using quantitative evidence to show tangible positive impacts on the safety of patients within a primary care setting.
  • Discuss any other positive outcomes that were a result of the initiative, which could include improved patient experience, waiting time reduction, capacity increase or optimised treatment pathways.
  • Include patient and/or staff testimonials supporting the efficacy of the initiative.

Spread

  • Show how these improvements in provision of safe, high-quality primary care are replicable and scalable.
  • Outline the efforts made to share best practice, or examples of where this project has embedded and spread to other departments, settings or organisations.

Value

  • Clearly evidence how the initiative 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 costs, reduced variation and/or improved efficiencies.

Involvement

  • Show how patients were involved in decisions around their care, and their views were embedded in the design of the initiative.
  • Provide clear evidence of a multidisciplinary approach, with all relevant parties fully engaging in the work, including managers, medics and nurses as well as patients and families, and how this has led to improved safety.
  • Detail how a culture has been developed 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