Patient Safety Award

Patient Safety Award
Patient Safety Award
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The aim of all patient safety initiatives is to ultimately reduce avoidable harm within the health system. This could involve everything from improving communication between teams, to reviewing staff mix, to encouraging staff and patients to speak up about risk. Some risks we know and understand, yet we fail to action key learnings in order to reduce them.  There are more subtle risks that will become apparent only when we look at safety incidents systematically. But whether we are dealing with known or unknown risks, there is a need for a culture in which staff can confidently report risks and concerns and know that these issues will be taken seriously and investigated in order to prevent harm from occurring in the first place.  

At a time in which championing patient safety is more crucial than ever, this award recognises not just initiatives focused on identifying a risk and preventing it, but also projects that have introduced a culture in which incidents are reliably reported, investigated and learnt from.

Eligibility

This category is open to public healthcare organisations, teams, and collaborations across the public and third sectors who have developed successful and continually improving patient safety initiatives. 

Ambition

The challenge and context within which your project, person or organisation is set alongside your goals and targets whether quantitative or qualitative, and how this aligns with national priorities.

  • What patient safety risks or challenges existed within your organisation or system, and what drove the need for change?
  • How does your initiative align with national patient safety priorities, strategies or frameworks?
  • What quantitative and qualitative targets were set, and what does success look like for your patient safety programme?

Collaboration

The stakeholders' involvement in co-designing and delivering the project. How have patients, staff at all levels, communities and other parties worked together to realise the outcomes?

  • Describe how patients, staff at all levels and wider stakeholders have been involved in co-designing and delivering patient safety initiatives.
  • How have staff and patients been consulted to identify risks and develop solutions? Describe the channels through which concerns can be raised and acted upon.
  • Provide evidence of consultation with patient groups and/or staff which has contributed to improvements in safety culture and practice.

Impact

The measurable benefits delivered to patients, staff, your organisation or the wider system. Provide data and evidence showing improvements to outcomes, quality, access, equity or efficiency.

  • Provide clear and convincing evidence of programmes which have improved safety. Examples could include evidence that drug errors have fallen, falls have reduced, or communication failings have been eliminated.
  • Describe the results of initiatives which have created an open and learning based culture in which staff and patients have clear and trusted channels to raise concerns.
  • What has been the result on staff and their ability to effect high quality care?
  • Give any relevant detail on reduction in litigation expenditure and mitigation of risk, including any financial savings delivered alongside improved patient safety.

Scale

How your work has been shared, adopted or replicated beyond your immediate team or organisation. This includes dissemination through publications, presentations, toolkits, partnerships or inspiring similar initiatives elsewhere.

  • How has best practice and experience resulting from patient safety initiatives been shared with other teams and organisations?
  • How could patient safety initiatives potentially help others reduce the risk of harm, or inspire similar approaches elsewhere?
  • Has your work been disseminated through publications, presentations, toolkits or partnerships? Provide details.

Sustainability

The potential for the project/work to continue and create lasting impact. Evidence of how it can be sustained or built upon.

  • How has a culture of continuous learning and improvement been embedded so that it endures beyond the initial initiative?
  • Describe what ongoing consultation takes place between staff and patients to ensure safety remains a priority over time.

To find out more

Partnership opportunities:  Sponsorship Sales Team
Awards entry enquiries: Delegate Sales Team
Judging and event management: Awards Support