The improvement collaborative has helped to reduce the number of over 60 minute handover delays in the North West by 47 per cent, only slightly short of the its target of achieving a 50 per cent reduction by 31 March 2023.
The joined-up approach which we led alongside NHS health and care quality improvement organisation Aqua and NHS England North West included representatives from 20 NHS trusts across the region covering 26 emergency departments. The work began in October 2022 and involved getting together to come up with innovative ideas and putting them into action. There was then an evaluation process to measure the impact before coming back together to share findings and next steps in May 2023.
This initiative has been selected to make the HSJ Awards shortlist following a thorough judging process which whittled down a record-breaking 1,456 entries to 223 shortlisted projects, making it the biggest awards programme in the award’s 43-year history. The high volume – and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.
Director of Quality, Innovation and Improvement Maxine Power said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. I am exceptionally proud of what has been achieved by working together to provide our patients with a better experience when they use our services. A huge well done to all the passionate people involved who have worked exceptionally hard to drive forward change and make a real difference.”
Some of the improvements that have been put in place as part of the collaboration include managing surges of patients presenting at hospitals over a short period, using daily data to support decision making and going back to basics by looking at ways to make improvements to existing processes.
HSJ Editor Alastair McLellan, adds: “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge the North West hospital handover improvement collaborative for being shortlisted in the category of Patient Safety.
“It’s been so encouraging to hear that 2023 has been record-breaking in terms of the number of applicants and, as ever, the calibre of entries left our panel of expert judges with some tough decisions to deliberate over. However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.
“We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector.”
The official HSJ Awards ceremony will be held on 16 November 2023 at Evolution London.