Rewarding success in our healthcare

A number of hospitals and trusts across the country received an early Christmas present last December: a Health Business Award. With Christmas now a nearly forgotten memory, Health Business looks back at the winners and celebrates their success.

St Pauls’ Grange Hotel played host to the seventh annual Health Business Awards on the 3 December 2015. The event, sponsored by CCube Solutions, was hosted by Dr Mark Porter – GP and medical correspondent at The Times, doctor on The One Show and presenter of Radio 4’s flagship medical series Inside Health. NHS Foundation Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Collaborates, Partnerships, and Air Ambulance Services joined together to celebrate the very best within the NHS.

Air Ambulance Service Award
Sponsored by MD Helicopters, this award recognises the hard work and dedication of the Air Ambulance sector, which operates as 18 separate charities that raise over £35 million per year in funding. The 2015 winner was East Anglian Air Ambulance. Air Ambulance Services across the country play a vital role and work tirelessly every day to save lives in dangerous situations. This year’s winning service established a working group in 2014 that developed a consistent communications strategy to build awareness of critical care. Those commended included the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Cornwall Air Ambulance, and Essex & Herts Air Ambulance.

Estates and Facilities Innovation Award
Sponsored by Swallow Evacuation & Mobility Products, the Estates and Facilities Innovation Award recognises NHS and other healthcare organisations that have developed innovative procedures for managing and maintaining healthcare facilities. In the Autumn last year, this years winner began accepting suspected Ebola patients. With its private sector partner, the team at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust developed a plan which, during patient transfer, ensured privacy and dignity was maintained, whilst safeguarding staff, patients and visitors. The two other contenders for 2015 were North Bristol NHS Trust and Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust.

Environmental Practice Award
This award will recognise the individual NHS project (smarter use of energy, transport, waste management etc.) that has furthered the progress of environmental practice in the NHS. This years’ winning trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust implemented considerable improvements to its waste management services. In the last year, recycling has increased by five per cent, with high temperature disposal reduced by seven per cent, saving over £260,000.

Healthcare IT Award
The most competitive category this year was the Healthcare IT Award. With a revolutionary new electronic medical records system which has improved the way referrals are dealt with and medical notes are indexed, routed and shared among clinicians and clerical staff, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has boosted efficiency, reduced costs, and ultimately, enhanced patient care. Others commended at the Awards dinner were Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon CCG, and Leicester City CCG.

Healthcare Recruitment Award
Improving patient access and choice depends on the quality and availability of staff in all areas of the hospital practice. Sponsored by de Poel health+care, this award will recognise the NHS organisation that has developed a robust recruitment policy that delivers both safety and continuity to patients. The Education Training and Development department at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS, winners for the second time on the night, is recognised for its inclusive recruitment policies, which includes supporting candidates with autism, mobility needs and deafness.

Hospital Catering Award
Sponsored by McCain, The Hospital Catering Award is presented to the NHS Trust that has strived to improve the standard of food and its nutritional value for the benefits of both patients and staff. The in-house catering team at Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust spends 80 per cent of its budget on ingredients from local suppliers, supporting local, independent businesses, aiding economical growth and helping the environment by reducing food miles. Since 2011, patient satisfaction levels regarding its hospital meals have increased from 48 per cent to 96 per cent in 2014-15.

Chief executive Lance McCarthy said: “We were delighted to win the hospital catering award at this year’s Health Business Awards. Good nutrition plays a vital role in a patient’s recovery. Our catering team really understand the importance of good nutrition and are committed to providing the best quality produce to help improve patient and staff well-being. In the last year we have seen patient satisfaction levels rise to more than 96 per cent. This is a result of the team’s determination to provide our patients with high-quality, healthy food that meets their nutritional needs.”

Hospital Cleaning Award
Patients expect hospitals to be clean. This award, sponsored by i-Clean Systems, acknowledges the efforts made by NHS organisations in recent years to raise standards in cleanliness and reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections. Housekeepers and supervisors create a hygienic and safe environment for patients at Weston General Hospital. Tailored training programmes have helped the Trust achieve a 98 per cent cleanliness rating in its latest Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment, and also helped the hospital bag a Health Business Award.

Hospital Procurement Award
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and London Procurement Partnership celebrated taking home the Hospital Procurement Award, sponsored by Aerogen. Their project has delivered huge financial benefits, well in excess of the government’s targets for PFI reviews. It focused on developing professional commercial skills and knowledge, and it has resulted in a 12 per cent annual saving on Soft Facilities Management services alone.

Innovation in Mental Health Award
Sponsored by Lloyds Pharmacy, this accolade is awarded to NHS organisations who have made strides in improving the experience and overall care of its patients. The winner, NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, developed a ‘Street Triage’ pilot last year that sees mental health professionals work with the police, sharing relevant information which helped to avert a person’s attempt to end their own life on nine occasions and was responsible for savings in excess of £130,000. The 2015 commended list in this category included Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

NHS Publicity Campaign Award
This is awarded to the campaign which can demonstrate success in achieving its objectives. Throughout the 2014/15 winter period, Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust delivered a digitally-led internal communications campaign, titled ‘Immunise Your Selfie’, to encourage staff to have the flu vaccination, highlighting the reasons why staff must take responsibility for staying healthy during the winter.

Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare
Sponsored by CCube Solutions, this year the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare Award’ recognised Frimley Health Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who have a patient-centred culture which is evidence of strong leadership. Staff had been praised for their pre‑natal care and cancer support and biomedical scientists from its pathology department recognised in their efforts to combat the spread of the Ebola Virus. Further to this, under the Care Commission’s new rating system, September last year saw the trust become the first to be recognised as ‘Outstanding’.

The trust’s head of midwifery Adrienne Price said: “It was an honour to be at the awards. The Outstanding Achievement Award was the last one to be announced so we were just ecstatic when they named Frimley Health as the winner.”

Patient Data Award
The need for timely, effective information in healthcare is key to realising the benefits of the huge investments in NHS staff and buildings. Datasets developed by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust helped to create predictive models that will aid future allocation of resources. The Paediatric Observation Priority Score quickly scores acutely ill children on a combination of risk identifiers,which can enable a hospital’s capacity to be predicted 24 hours in advance.

Patient Safety Award
Sponsored by Ascom, the Patient Safety Award is presented to the NHS Trust which has made great strides in providing a safe hospital environment for patients, and has taken action to reduce Hospital Acquired infections and mortality rates. The identification and treatment of sepsis is exemplary at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. A set of six internationally recognised clinical interventions are performed within the first hour of diagnosis. These, including early prescription of antibiotics and administering oxygen, have helped to increase survival by up to 30 per cent.

Sustainable Hospital Award
The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust set up the first medical PVC recycling project outside Australia, in which three common single use PVC items were picked for their suitability: anaesthetic face masks, oxygen tubing and oxygen masks from elective, non‑infectious patients. The pilot encouraged the Environmental Agency to allow ‘sensible’ recycling of items previously considered clinical waste and helped to open up channels to manufactures to make more single use items recyclable.

Compliance with the process was nearly 100 per cent and cross contamination of the recycling bins with other waste was zero, resulting in approximately 200kg of PVC diverted from landfill or incineration to date. This award was sponsored by Mitie.

NHS Collaboration Award
Sponsored by ISS Facility Services Healthcare, this Award is presented to the NHS Trust which has worked with other public/private sector organisations, such as local government, police, fire, charities, schools etc to engage the local community in preventative campaigns. The winning collaborative project between Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust helped raise awareness of the difficulties faced by those with visual impairments. The Trust worked with the local Fire service, and the results have seen an increase in referrals and helped to maintain their independence and autonomy.

Hospital Building Award
This Award, sponsored by CCube Solutions, will be made to the new hospital building project that raises the standard of the healthcare environment and demonstrates value for money and project management excellence. Touted as the first hospital of its kind in the country, the winning project from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust and Cramlington Hospital has already been recognised at a national level by the medical director of NHS England when he described it as a ‘glimpse of the future’. The result of 10 years work led by clinical teams, the building is specifically dedicated to emergency care.

NHS Finance Award
NHS Finance Award, sponsored by Fathom, recognises a hospital trust which has developed prudent financial practices which represent good value for the taxpayer. Failing on performance targets and with a huge debt, 2012 saw the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in breach of its authorisation. The Board has driven through a number of changes to ensure robust governance, and its chief executive became the first to successfully bring a Foundation Trust out of financial breach. Under her leadership, it finished the 2014/15 financial year with twenty percent higher than planned cash balance

Clinical Commissioning Award
Sponsored by Fujitsu, this Award recognises the recently formed CCG sector, and an organisation which has quickly made an impact to reduce hospital admissions through preventative practice. NHS England data ranked NHS Southport and Formby (CCG) as the best in the country in supporting adult diabetics. The CCG focused on prevention- educating sufferers on how to successfully manage the disease in order to reduce the risk of future complications. It also works to ensure that patients at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes have access to lifestyle advice to help them stay healthy.

Hospital Security Award
Sponsored by Pass Training Consultancy Ltd, this award recognises hospitals that have made significant steps towards a safer environment for patients and workers through the implementation of a security policy which incorporates the latest advancements in CCTV, access control and other monitoring technologies. In order to tackle a rise of violence against staff and patients, a pilot project at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust introduced two full‑time police liaison officers, stationed in the A&E Department. They have been specially trained to work with medical staff to identify individuals who display challenging behaviour, signs of alcohol and substance misuse and also those with undiagnosed mental health issues.

Further Information
hbawards.co.uk