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Relatives helpline shortlisted for national award
Our clinical helpline for relatives of inpatients has been shortlisted for a national award.
Staff at the Trust launched the helpline in April 2020, following the national suspension of visiting in hospitals due to Covid-19, and it has taken more than 40,000 calls in its first year.
The service has now been shortlisted for Patient Safety Team of the Year at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards, recognising their outstanding contribution to healthcare.
Just one week into the first UK lockdown, the patient experience team recognised the difficulty visitor restrictions was already causing both patients and relatives, and set to work on bridging these gaps with the goal to help loved ones stay up to date with hospital care.
The 70-strong helpline team was largely made up of clinical and administrative staff who were themselves shielding because of the virus, using live, ward-based clinical information from the Trust’s digital health records seven days per week.
This enhanced communication between the patient, families, carers and the hospital, released time for ward-based staff to remain focused on patient care, and supported the health, safety and wellbeing of patients, communities and staff alike.
The success of the helpline means the Trust plans to continue with the service even after visiting restrictions have been fully relaxed.
The Trust faced tough competition from hundreds of applicants to the Patient Safety Awards, but was selected based on the ambition, visionary spirit and demonstrable positive impact that the project has had on patient, family and staff experiences.
Trust head of patient experience Cassia Nice said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Patient Safety Team of the Year award. The successful implementation of our clinical helpline was a true collaborative effort and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing helpline clinicians, who found themselves unable to provide their usual care due to having to shield.
“It provides comprehensive patient clinical and wellbeing information to relatives and caregivers using our live digital healthcare records and enhances communication between patients, relatives, carers and staff.
“Helpline staff offer support during a time of uncertainty, assisting relatives and carers to make sense of what they are being told while also helping to identify gaps in a patient’s medical history or their preferences to help us provide better care and enhanced patient safety.
“It frees up our clinical colleagues to focus on providing patient care, and highlights the significant impact two-way communication has in supporting positive patient experiences beyond the just the helpline.
“We are committed to delivering improved outcomes for our patients, and to be chosen among the other incredible nominees is a wonderful achievement. The team is very proud of the nomination and the success of the service, particularly as we develop it as a permanent service to complement standard visiting.”
The judging panel is made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community including Sue Smith OBE (Executive Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals Morecambe Bay FT), Rachel Power (Chief Executive, The Patients Association), Dr Hester Wain (Head of Patient Safety Policy, NHS England and NHS Improvement).
The winners will be celebrated at a ceremony as part of the Patient Safety Congress and Awards in Manchester in September.
- The clinical helpline can provide updates on your loved one in our care by contacting 01284 713155 between 10am and 6pm, seven days a week.
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