An innovative project helping patients get home from hospital more quickly to aid their recovery is in the running for a national award.

The Discharge 2 Assess Team is made up of staff from Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).  The team has been shortlisted for the prestigious Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards 2021 in the ‘Changing Culture’ category, which recognise safety, culture and experience in patient care.

The three organisations worked closely together during the pandemic to design new ways of working so patients can now go home sooner with a package of social care in place.

Staff from the different organisations now work together in dedicated groups and have been praised by patients for their ‘tireless’ efforts getting them out of hospital to safety continue their recovery at home.

Karen James OBE, Chief Executive, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said “We are proud that the Discharge to Assess Team has been nominated for such an important award.  The team have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, putting the safety of our patients first and working with our partners in new ways.  We are delighted that their hard work has been recognised by the judges at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards.”

Andrea Green, Accountable Officer for NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is an excellent example of our staff coming together from different teams across Stockport and working together in new and innovative ways that are making a real difference to local people as we know that patients make a better recovery in familiar surroundings, such as their own home, with family and friends close-by. This is well-deserved national recognition for the hard work of the staff who have co-created this new way of working with patients and their carers at the heart of their decisions.”

Councillor Jude Wells, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health at Stockport Council, said: “This project is a great example of what we can achieve through collaborative working. Through cultural change and improving working relationships, we were able to improve systems and ultimately create a better experience for patients and their families. I’m thrilled we have been shortlisted for this award, and would like to thank all of my colleagues at the Council, Stockport Foundation Trust and Stockport CCG for their hard work in delivering this project.”

 The full list of finalists for the 2021 HSJ Patient Safety Awards can be found on https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/2021-shortlist.

Winners will be selected ahead of the ceremony, which will take place as part of the Patient Safety Congress and Awards in Manchester in September 2021.