Sheffield Hospitals shortlisted for record number of national Patient Safety awards

Seven national nominations in prestigious Patient Safety Awards highlight how Trust is at the forefront of patient care

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a record number of national Patient Safety Awards in recognition of outstanding practice in the field.

The Trust is in contention for seven awards in total – more than any other NHS organisation in the country.

The awards are one of the most coveted in the healthcare profession, and are run by the Health Service Journal and Nursing Times.

Work highlighted includes a specialist team at Weston Park Hospital who have been playing a pivotal role in helping improve the quality of life of patients with malignant spinal cord compression, a devastating cancer that occurs in up to 5% of cancer patients. Through the team’s work patients now receive early treatment and rehabilitation that focuses on achieving patients’ priorities such as improving functional ability, increasing independence and timely discharge from hospital.  

The Trust’s community podiatry services, who were instrumental in setting up a Healthy Footwear Guide now used widely in NHS podiatry clinics throughout the country and supported by leading shoe retailers such as Clarks, and the Sheffield Small Bowel Service, who have led the way in developing capsule endoscopy, a pill-sized camera which when swallowed takes pictures of the inside of the stomach, have both been shortlisted in the Hall of Fame category. Winners of this category will be inducted into the Health Service Journal’s Hall of Fame as ‘patient safety champions’ in recognition of their long-term commitment to quality care.

A city-wide project helping people live healthy, independent lives through safe, best use of medicines is one of two initiatives from the Trust in contention for the Improving Safety in Medicines Management award. The other project is analysing the use of amiodarone, a drug used to treat irregular heartbeats.

Lynne Smith, a clinical scientist working the gastrointestinal investigation unit at the Northern General, has also been shortlisted for a ‘Clinical Leadership’ award. Recently honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2014 for significant contribution for services to healthcare science, Lynne has championed and raised professional standards in a largely unregulated field, improving outcomes for patients and driving up standards.

Finally, a group of patient representatives, hospital staff, GPs, and clinical commissioning group and local authority and housing association representatives are in contention for the ‘Patient Safety in Care of Older People’ for setting up an initiative called the ‘Big Room’, where complex needs of frail and old patients are discussed on a weekly basis.   As a result more frail and old patients have been discharged from hospital in a timely fashion and given an assessment of care at home – which is critical to ensuring their ongoing needs are met.

Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Providing safe, high quality patient care is of paramount importance, so we are delighted that the outstanding efforts of our staff have been recognised in so many different categories in these prestigious national awards. It’s also a credit to the individuals and teams involved that they have been singled out from so many entries across the country as beacons of good practice.”

This year the judges received nearly 750 entries from over 563 NHS organisations and healthcare providers across the country – the highest number of entries since the awards were launched over seven years ago. Winners will be announced at a special ceremony at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham on 6 July 2015.