Trust shortlisted for national patient safety award

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) is in the running to win a national award for its work to improve patient safety in local care homes.

The Trust’s North Devon care homes team has been shortlisted for the Patient Safety Awards 2016, organised by leading publications the Health Service Journal and the Nursing Times.

The team supports care homes to improve the safety and quality of care for their residents. It works with staff at around 70 local care homes and focuses on the six Cs: compassion, commitment, competence, courage, communication and care.

The number of emergency admissions to hospital from care homes has decreased, the amount of safeguarding investigations has fallen significantly and staff’s knowledge of various conditions has increased markedly following training.

Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive, said: “We are very proud of the dedication, commitment and hard work the team continues to display and it is fantastic they have been shortlisted again, giving them the opportunity to add to the accolades they have already received.”

The Trust is one of ten organisations to be shortlisted in the Education and Training in Patient Safety category.

Other awards that the care homes team have won include The Guardian Public Services Award 2013 for Partnership Excellence and Education and Training Team of the Year in the NHS Health Education England Star Awards 2016. They also won the overall award for NHS Values.

An example of the team’s work in education and training is the forum they held as part of Dementia Awareness Week last month, to raise awareness of issues surrounding dementia.

More than 120 people attended the event, which featured three renowned speakers on dementia. They were Ian Sherriff, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group, David Sheard, CEO and founder of Dementia Care Matters and Tommy Whitelaw, project engagement lead for Dementia Carer Voices and a long-time campaigner for dementia awareness.

Ian Sherriff, who is also academic partnership lead for dementia at Plymouth University, said: “The team should be very proud of their work. They are changing the way people on the ground support, and make a difference to the lives of, people with dementia and their carers.”

Rae Vanstone, care home manager for Kenwith Castle care home in Bideford, was at the forum event. She said: “I was overwhelmed and inspired. The team did an amazing job getting such a fabulous day together- I will remember that session for the rest of my life.”

The team will find out if it has won a Patient Safety award at the ceremony in Manchester on 5 July 2016.