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NHS South Central Health & Social Care Awards 2009: Winners Announced

22 May 2009

Winners of South Central Health and Social Care Awards celebrate their success

The winners of the South Central Health and Social Care Awards 2009 were announced yesterday evening at the regional awards ceremony hosted by South Central Strategic Health Authority at BlenheimPalace.

The Health and Social Care Awards have an established eight year history and provide an opportunity to highlight and celebrate innovation and excellence in health and social care. Frontline staff spent the evening showcasing and celebrating their innovative work with colleagues from local health and social care organisations.

The event was attended by 130 health and social care staff working in the NHS, social services, the voluntary and independent sector organisations across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, whose projects were shortlisted by an expert panel of judges.

Congratulating the winners Jim Easton, Chief Executive of South Central Strategic Health Authority said: “These awards encourage the development and adoption of innovative solutions to the challenges health and social care staff face in improving patient care on a daily basis. I am enormously impressed by the quality and range of projects I have seen this year. What excites me now is how we can embed these projects into every day practice across the whole region, helping to improve the care patients and service users receive and ensure that best practice becomes standard practice everywhere. “

“The people that have entered the awards all have one thing in common, the drive to improve the patient and user experience. These people dedicate their lives day in day out, to providing the public with the highest quality care and treatment. To me these are the people that represent what is great about health and social care, and these awards are about giving them the recognition they deserve.”

The winners of the regional awards will be put forward for consideration by a national judging panel chaired by David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS; the winners of which will be announced at a high profile event hosted by the Secretary of State in London in July 2009.

The winning projects for each of the 11 South Central award categories are:

Mental Health and Wellbeing Award

Southampton City PCT -Emotional First Aid Development Team

Spotting the early signs of emotional distress through problems such as eating disorders or self-harm can prevent a full-blown clinical disorder. The Emotional First Aid training course is the first of its kind in the UK and equips youth workers with the skills to help children manage mental distress before it becomes overwhelming and helps to make well-judged interventions which may prevent clinical illness later in life. Every participant has rated it ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ and the project has created a change of attitude among professionals who have more confidence about approaching young people and addressing their problems.

Success in Partnership Working Award

NHS Oxfordshire and OxfordshireCounty Council - Looked After Team

A joint initiative between the Oxfordshire PCT and Oxfordshire County Council helps pregnant care-leavers to prepare to become young mothers. The 12-week programme began in July 2008 to promote the safety of the unborn children and provide opportunities for the young women to learn parenting skills. Despite many challenges, the team feels that it had achieved its goals: self esteem has increased; the young women understand the importance of routines, regular mealtimes and healthy eating; and are finding out about the role the father could play.

Adopt, Adapt and Improve Award
Milton KeynesHospital NHS Foundation Trust- Respiratory Team

Patients with chronic obstructive airways pulmonary disease account for a significant percentage of unplanned admissions to hospital. Hospital stays in Milton Keynes were also longer than the national average. Working with all the emergency and medical areas, the respiratory team piloted an assisted discharge scheme aimed at improving patient management and providing an early and successful return home. Staff are involved from the outset and patients are informed, closely managed and offered additional physiotherapy. The aim is for patients to be discharged within five days, which in itself reduces the risk of hospital related infections.

People’s Award for Dignity in Care

Hampshire County Council - Malmesbury Lawn Staff Group,

Residents with dementia are reaping the benefits of a dedicated team of staff who have provided a safe garden with raised flower and vegetable beds, and film nights complete with interval ice cream! Families who find it difficult to come to terms with a relative’s condition are also benefiting, as the garden has encouraged family members to build confidence in spending time with their loved one.

"… the staff have exceeded expectations. In the sad circumstances of admitting mum to a home, this is the best thing that could have happened to our family.”

Innovative Acute Care Award

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust- Heart Failure Team

This project has dramatically reduced the mortality rate among heart failure patients at SouthamptonGeneralHospital through a close working relationship with two key hospital care teams. Heart failure is common, disabling and deadly but can be treated with a variety of medical, surgical and device therapies and one of the aims was to reduce hospital admissions and readmissions. The team works flexibly across inpatient and outpatient services and sees all inpatient referrals within 24 hours. Statistics already indicate that the mortality rate is down to around 5% - less than a third of the national figure and only five out of 215 patients have been readmitted.

Innovative Health and Social Care Technology

West Berkshire Council and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - Careworks

The Careworks project involved more than developing software to implement a fully integrated client record system to deliver seamless service provision between mental health and other social care teams. With no off-the-shelf product available, the system had to take into account different rules about reporting, recording, and classifying referrals, and to address concerns about data security. The programme went live in February and has resulted in better team working, the development of more person-centred and tailored care. It has also provided management benefits and is paving the way for other teams to look at joint working and information sharing.

Improving Health and Reducing Inequalities

NHS Berkshire West - Calcot Fitclub

Obesity is linked with inequality. It reduces life expectancy and increases the risk of developing some diseases. Calcot Fitclub works with local partners and commercial weight loss programmes using an evidence-based behavioural change programme. Members include GP referrals and people recruited through local publicity, and of those achieving a 5% weight loss goal, 90% had maintained this after six months. Other results include improved health, reduced pain and reliance on medication and less time of work. People also reported having more energy and better self-esteem; and those with mental health issues said that the Fitclub improved their quality of life.

Excellence in Commissioning Award

NHS Isle of Wight- Prioritisation for Commissioning

Excellence in commissioning was the goal that NHS Isle of Wight was striving for when it adopted a novel approach known as ‘social decision conferencing’ to inform its strategy. Working with researchers from the London School of Economics, a number of events explained the trust’s desire to reduce mortality from a number of key diseases and conditions, and to work on smoking cessation, improving mental health and reducing obesity in children. Responses showed which interventions offered the greatest benefits, and one service design change – for people with respiratory disease - has already seen emergency asthma admissions fall by 50%.

Leadership for Improvement Award

Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust- In Your Shoes team

This initiative was set up toimprove patient experience throughout Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust by a process of patient, public and staff engagement sessions and an audit of comments, complaints and accolades given to the patient advisory liaison service. Following the consultation exercise, the main themes were identified and the trust made five patient promises. These were communicated through staff leaflets, posters and presentations and everyone was encouraged to consider their role in meeting the challenges. As a result of the initiative the trust is now within the top 10% in the country for hand hygiene.

Patient Safety Award
Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust- Medical Assistant Team, RoyalHampshireCountyHospital

Intravenous needles are now prescribed for patients after a successful project facilitated by the medical assistants at the Royal Hampshire Community Hospital to reduce MRSA infections, as part of the ‘Saving Lives’ initiative. The initiative was in response to research which showed infection was common where invasive devices were in use. A third of the trust’s MRSA infections in 2007-08 were related to cannulae and prescriptions at the Winchester hospital were one of the outcomes; a second being to monitor and audit the use of cannulae through daily patient visits to change or secure dressings and check for infection.

Transforming Services Award

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust - There’s no place like home

The new end-of-life service is a courageous project devised by SouthamptonGeneralHospital’s Palliative Care Team and was designed to allow patients to be discharged to die peacefully in familiar surroundings and with love-ones close by. It is a complex logistical exercise that needed strong commitment from the trust and the support of many different teams and individuals. The new service has transformed attitudes about end-of-life care in the trust and has dramatically improved patient care and dignity and made a lasting impact on clinical practice.

Ends

For further information please contact Sarah Eastman, Communications Officer at South Central Strategic Health Authority on 01635 275613.
For further information about a winning project please contact the individual organisation.
Photos of the award ceremony and winning projects are available.

4. Click here to link to brochure giving all details of the NHS South Central Health & Social

Care Awards 2009.

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