Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has shown its commitment to patient safety across its services by being shortlisted several times over for major national health awards.
The trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and community NHS services in Stockport, is the finalist in five separate categories in the Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards, each one for a different project to enhance safety.
Surgical theatres, children’s services, endoscopy, urology and occupational health services are each benefiting from innovative projects which have been recognised at the awards.
The paediatrics team have been shortlisted in the ‘Patient Safety Education and Training’ category for their project to improve staff skill and confidence when caring for children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Working closely with mental health colleagues in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, they have introduced extensive new training for colleagues to create a safer and more supportive environment for these children and young people.
The surgical theatre team are finalists for the ‘Patient Safety in Elective Recovery’ award, for their scheme to improve theatre productivity, and ensure patients have timely access to surgery.
This was a project to tackle the large backlog of surgery which had developed during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The team looked at the root causes of delays and inefficiencies and took effective action to greatly reduce them, resulting in more operations taking place. This has meant swifter outcomes for patients, whilst also ensuring rigorous safety standards were in place.
The urology team are also finalists in the ‘Patient Safety in Elective Recovery Patient Safety in Elective Recovery Award’ category, for their project of ensuring faster outpatient appointments for patients by working with colleagues in primary care.
By ensuring patients can receive as much care as possible in a community setting, they were able to start patients on their pathway or treatment much sooner, which is better for both patient experience and outcomes.
The endoscopy team have been shortlisted in the ‘Quality Improvement Initiative of the Year’ category for their various measures to improve efficiency, productivity and patient experience while reducing their backlog of procedures.
The improvements helped the team to prioritise those in need of an endoscopy for faster diagnosis of cancer, which can have lifesaving consequences.
And finally, the trust’s people directorate has been shortlisted for the ‘Staff Health and Wellbeing Initiative of the Year’ award for their joint venture between the occupational health department, and our gynaecology services to provide more support for colleagues who are experiencing the menopause.
The trust became one of very few in the country to establish a specialist clinic for the many staff members with the menopause, greatly enhancing the support they receive, and helping them to ensure they receive the best care they can as they provide care for others.
Karen James OBE, Chief Executive for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said “These initiatives show we’re taking innovative action across our many different services to ensure the best possible standards of patient safety. It’s fantastic to see these efforts being recognised by the HSJ Safety Awards by being shortlisted five times, which is an exceptional achievement for everyone involved. I’d like to wish our colleagues all the best in each of their categories.”
The HSJ Patient Safety Awards celebrate the best in patient safety in health services across the country. The winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester on 16th September, 2024.