Publish date: 22 June 2023

Teams from across Blackpool Teaching Hospitals have been shortlisted for major awards recognising safety, culture and experience in patient care.

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards has the ambition of helping “drive improvements in culture and quality across the NHS”.

The annual awards recognise and reward the teams and individuals who strive to deliver improved patient care. In total, the Trust has been shortlisted in six categories.

Two of the safeguarding teams have been shortlisted for awards – the work done by Operation Provide, a multi-agency programme involving the Trust and Lancashire Constabulary to support victims of domestic abuse across Blackpool, Fylde coast and north Lancashire has been shortlisted for the Best Use of Integrated Care and Partnership Working in Patient Safety category.

Then the Emergency Department Navigator Service which works to provide support for young people who attend hospital with violence-related injuries, has been shortlisted for the Improving Care for Children and Younger People Initiative of the Year.

Also shortlisted for the children and young people category is work done collaboratively by the Trust with partner FCMS across acute and community paediatric services to develop the paediatric “virtual ward”. This has made a real difference to families across the Fylde coast helping families to stay at home together and for children to be cared for in their own homes while receiving excellent care from the Children’s Community Nursing team.

Meanwhile, in the Improving Health Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities category, the Trust has been shortlisted for increasing patient feedback from people who don’t speak English. This has been done by translating feedback forms into various languages, designing promotional materials and organising staff and patient engagement events to increase awareness in the sexual health services as well as across the Trust as a whole.

In the Patient Safety Pilot Project of the Year category, the Trust has been recognised for its work to reduce hospital acquired pneumonia which is associated with issues including increased mortality and length of stay in hospital.

Finally, the Trust has been recognised alongside colleagues from Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board for the work done by the Reproductive Trauma Service, under the Mental Health Safety Improvement Award category.

Winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony on Monday 18 September at Manchester Central Convention Complex, following judging sessions which will take place over coming weeks.