Publish date: 4 November 2024
Northumbria Healthcare takes top patient safety accolade in leading UK health awards thanks to a new system improving safe staffing practices.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has gained national recognition for its work in ensuring safe staffing levels at each of the eight inpatient sites across the large geographic area it serves. The trust was one of six winners at the RLDatix Awards 2024, picking up the Safer Care award.
Northumbria Healthcare’s project looked to address challenges by ensuring that across the Trust we used data to enhance safe staffing practices and monitor staff moves as efficiently as possible.
The project, led by the trust’s NMAHP (Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health Professionals) and Workforce Systems teams provided real-time data on staff movements into a dashboard to make sure that each site had the right skill mix, reducing unnecessary staff moves and supporting staff wellbeing. The project can be easily replicated across other areas, and the team have shared insights and dashboard examples with other organisations to enhance safe staffing across the healthcare system.
Not only was the trust one of the winners of the night, but it had also been shortlisted in four other categories, three of which received highly commended status. This gave recognition to a variety of projects that have taken place to positively impact patient care and safety.
Projects included improving care for older people using an evidence-based competency development framework, international nurse recruitment to reduce long-standing vacancies, increasing staff retention and appointment of a pastoral care and accommodation officer, a healthcare support worker strategy to create a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers, and use of WTD data from Optima to support recruitment, retention and work-life balance.
The awards were presented at the end of the first day of the RLDatix Connected Health & Care Summit, an annual event bringing together the largest community of health and care professionals in service planning, clinical operations, workforce operations and safety from across Europe.
Chris Platton, director of nursing at Northumbria Healthcare, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everyone who has been involved in these projects. We are proud of their consistent drive towards delivering exceptional care to our communities. Being shortlisted, highly commended and taking home an award is a true reflection of the commitment from every team member.”
Claire Brown, workforce systems programme manager, said: “The range of projects that have been highlighted show that different departments and disciplines across the trust are passionate about creating a supportive environment for our staff. As a result, our trust can continue providing high-quality care to our patients and this is something we are extremely proud of.”
Speaking about the awards, Peter Carter OBE, former General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and one of the awards judges said: “All too often we overlook the hard work, dedication and commitment shown by NHS staff. These awards give us an opportunity to take stock and recognise individuals and teams who have improved quality of care and championed patient safety through workforce initiatives. They should take pride in their achievements.”
About RLDatix
For over 20 years, RLDatix has championed safety as our driving force. We are the only organisation integrating data across risk, safety, compliance, and workforce management to provide decision-makers with the critical insights they need to enhance care quality and improve patient outcomes. This approach, which prioritises safety and outcomes for patients, workforces and organisations alike, is connected health and care operations.
Trusted by thousands of health and care organisations worldwide, we empower them to focus on what matters most: delivering efficient, patient-centred care. Together, we can create a brighter future where meaningful data insights lead to safer health and care for all.
About the awards
The awards were presented at the end of the first day of the RLDatix Connected Health & Care Summit, an annual event bringing together the largest community of health and care professionals in service planning, clinical operations, workforce operations and safety from across Europe. Over two days, expert speakers drawn from multiple healthcare disciplines, industry and academia joined with attendees to explore the crucial role of connecting health and care operations– with the goal of improving operational efficiency and ultimately improving patient care and staff wellbeing.
The judges were: Helen Hughes - Chief executive of Patient Safety Learning; Peter Carter OBE - Independent healthcare consultant and a former General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing; Pollyanna Jones - Senior policy advisor, NHS England; Lyn McIntyre MBE – Independent Consultant; and Dr Henry Carleton – Independent Consultant.