Seven NHS Trusts shortlisted for UK-wide healthcare award

Innovative partnership involving Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust enables vital test reports to be shared across South Yorkshire, Mid Yorkshire and North Derbyshire for the benefit of 2.3million patients.

A GROUP of seven NHS Trusts who recently introduced touch of a button technology, enabling vital patient test reports to be shared quickly and securely for the benefit of clinicians and over two million patients, have been shortlisted for a top UK-wide healthcare award.

The innovative Working Together Programme, which brings together the collective expertise of NHS Trusts in South Yorkshire, Mid Yorkshire and North Derbyshire, are one of a handful of teams across the country in the running for a prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value Award in Healthcare.

By working in partnership, these NHS organisations were able to roll out a new IT system across 15 hospital sites in the area, allowing GPs and hospital sites to quickly access vital patient test results.

Getting access to test results, which aid detection and treatment of disease, is often time-consuming and involves other NHS sites checking patient history or undertaking duplicate tests.

However, thanks to the Working Together Programme, results of specialist diagnostic and investigative tests are now available to GPs and hospital sites across Barnsley, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Mid Yorkshire, Rotherham and Sheffield via the ICE™ OpenNet system, improving care and ensuring a complete diagnostic history is available without the need for repeat tests.

More than 532 healthcare organisations entered the 2015 HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards – with only 140 organisations shortlisted. The Awards recognise improved value and efficiency in healthcare. The Working Together Programme has been shortlisted in the Value and Improvement in Information Technology category.

Janette Watkins, Programme Director, The Working Together Programme, said:

The Working Together Programme aims to achieve transformation of clinical systems and processes for the benefit of 2.3million patients, so we are delighted we have been shortlisted for this prestigious national award. As well as reducing clinical risk and supporting improved care for patients, this initiative will also reduce the number of duplicate tests that take place each year, reducing the cost to the NHS.

The Working Together Programme consists of the following NHS organisations: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The winners of the Healthcare in Value Awards will be announced at an award ceremony in London on 22^nd September.