TWO teams at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, the Cardiology and the Diabetes departments, have been announced as the finalists for the prestigious national Patient Safety Awards 2016 in the Cardiac Care and Improving Safety in Medicines Management categories respectively.
Having two services shortlisted in the awards is special recognition for the work that the Trust has been doing to improve patient safety.
The Cardiology Department has been praised for successfully delivering their reconfiguration project in 2015, which centralised the cardiology in-patient and interventional services at the Trust, into one bespoke location at City Hospital with two new cath labs. The reconfiguration was a decisive decision to ensure that patients receive care from experts on one site. A year on from the reconfiguration, many quality indicators have been achieved. For instance, the team is frequently achieving a 100 % delivery of lifesaving coronary intervention within 90 minutes for heart attack patients.
Dr Chetan Varma, Consultant Cardiologist and Specialty Lead, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this prestigious award and appreciate the recognition for the work that we are doing here. The changes have made an impact on patient safety and are a substantial foundation for the opening of the Midland Met new hospital in 2018.”
The Diabetes team also impressed the judges by their tireless work in developing tools and training programmes for staff to improve insulin management. Their work is to ensure that the right type of insulin is correctly prescribed, delivered and dispensed to patients, reducing errors and improving patient safety. Majority of junior doctors and nursing staff undertaking the training found the programmes extremely useful and the tools easy to use. Consequently, number of insulin incidents has gone down significantly, ensuring safer care for patients.
Dr Parijat De, Consultant Physician and Clinical Lead – Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nephrology, who has led the project, said: “The Health Service Journal and Nursing Times Patient Safety Awards are the only ones to recognise leading examples of patient safety, best practice and innovation. To be shortlisted against competition from all over the NHS is a tremendous achievement.
“We have introduced a number of changes and subtle innovations to make diabetes recognition and treatment with insulin safe within the hospital.
“It’s an honour to be nominated – but to bring the award home would be something really special”.
ENDS
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