We’re winners at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards

Congratulations to two of our teams who have been recognised for their work at last night’s national HSJ Patient Safety Awards.

Our maternity and virtual ward colleagues were crowned winners in the Virtual or Remote Care Initiative of the Year category for their work on caring for patients with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and we were also recognised as Highly Commended for our innovative falls prevention training video in the Patient Involvement in Safety Award category.

HG affects around four percent of pregnancies and frequently leads to multiple GP appointments, emergency department visits, and hospital stays. To minimise the psychological, social and financial burden of repeated hospitalisations on patients and their families, our Hyperemesis team partnered with our Virtual Ward so that patients could receive IV hydration and medications both at a timed appointment in the Virtual Ward hub or in their own home. They’ve also formed virtual clinics to support patients with medication and psychological support. This cut bed days by over 50%, with feedback from service users saying it enhanced patient experience while reducing both financial and environmental costs, without compromising on clinical care quality.

Beth Laverick, Lead Obstetrician for Maternal Medicine, said: “We’ve developed a model that provides bespoke, personalised and patient-centred care that judges felt could be rolled out nationwide.

“We’re so proud that service user voice has guided the development of this service. It’s been a real team effort between Maternity and our Virtual Ward and we’re all delighted to receive national recognition with this award.”

Together with Age UK Norwich and Sponge Creative, the Highly Commended award was for our joint project to produce a video called ‘Alice’s Story’ highlighted the healthcare missed opportunities in falls prevention. It was developed with patients who had directly experienced a fall and received care in hospital. The video is now being used as a training tool for staff as well as an awareness resource for the wider community, helping to highlight the importance of preventing falls and supporting people to remain safe and independent.

Falls Prevention and Management Lead Anna Skipper said: “I’m incredibly proud to have received this accolade which shows that partnership working can produce innovative resources that can support better patient safety.”

Organised by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), the Patient Safety Awards celebrate the teams and individuals going above and beyond to protect patients from harm, reduce risks, and embed a culture of safety across the UK healthcare sector.