Patient Safety Award

Wessex AHSN
Patient Safety Award
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How to apply

  1. Register an account.
  2. Start your entry (save it in-progress).
  3. Submit your entry to be in the running.

Best of luck!

For any questions, please contact Ryan Bessent

start your entry

At the heart of all patient safety initiatives lies the aim of a zero-avoidable harm NHS environment. It may involve everything from improving communication between teams, to reviewing staff mix, to encouraging patients to speak up about risk. Some risks we know and understand – yet we fail to act to reduce them. Some we don’t and they 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 act on risks, report them and know that their reports will be investigated dispassionately and thoroughly.

This award is all about driving up patient safety. It will recognise not just initiatives focused on identifying a risk and reducing it, but also work to introduce a culture in which incidents are reliably reported, investigated and learnt from. 

Eligibility

This category is open to teams and collaborations within or between organisations whether they be NHS or wider health sector. The award is open to private, third and public sector organisations who have developed successful and continually improving patient safety initiatives. 

Ambition

  • Provide detail on the patient safety context in which services are delivered. What has been the recent history and identify where improvements have been needed.
  • How has the patient safety agenda been approached with the stakeholder organisations, staff and patient?
  • What performance targets have been set? What is the vision for patient safety and high quality care?
  • How does culture effect the patient safety agenda within stakeholder organisations?

Outcome

  • Judges are looking for 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. Include evidence of consultation with patient groups and staff which have contributed to improvements.
  • Give any relevant detail on reduction in litigation expenditure and mitigation of risk.

Spread

  • 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?

Value

  • Has an initiative delivered financial savings alongside improved patient experience?
  • Provide supporting evidence of any monetary impact of patient safety improvements
  • What has been the result on staff and their ability to effect high quality care?

Involvement

  • Provide an explanation of how of a strong team or organisational safety culture has been introduced.
  • How has patient safety improved as a result of consultation with staff and patients? Describe a culture in which all staff feel able to raise risks and have confidence they will be acted upon.
  • What ongoing consultation takes place between staff and patients?

Patient Safety Award

start your entry
Wessex AHSN
Patient Safety Award
Read more

To find out more

Entries, attendance and sponsorship enquiries, contact Ryan Bessent  0207 608 9045;
Media and marketing enquiries, contact Honey de Gracia 0207 608 9002;
Judging and event management, contact Sheena Patel 0207 608 9039