Earlier this month (7 February 2020) I had the pleasure of presenting our annual LPZ celebration event awards, which recognise the work of care home staff to improve the quality and standards in care homes across the East Midlands.
As the population continues to age and people live longer, the demand for care will undoubtedly increase. The Office for National Statistics predicts a 36% growth in persons aged 85+ between 2015 and 2025, from 1.5 million to 2 million. This is expected to lead to a substantial increase in demand for care home services (Care homes market study: summary of final report 2017).
In the East Midlands as part of our Patient Safety Collaborative (EMPSC) which is hosted by the East Midlands AHSN, we introduced a programme in 2015 called LPZ, to support rapid improvements in patient care and safety in the care homes sector.
Originally developed by Maastricht University in the Netherlands, LPZ stands for Landielijke Prevalentiemeting Zorgkwaliteit, but is more commonly known as LPZ for short.
It is the biggest care home audit in England, and it based on working with homes to introduce a tool which measures the prevalence of common care issues such as pressure ulcers, continence, nutrition, falls and pain.
Feedback we have received from care home staff is that it gives them a real sense of empowerment to own their data and identify issues for improvement, and that it also supports their development by pinpointing areas for training and development.
Homes that have been using LPZ have seen some great improvements year on year, resulting in fewer falls and improved hydration and pain management. Currently, 65 care homes across the East Midlands are using the LPZ model making significant improvements to the quality of care provided to residents.
I was delighted to present the annual LPZ awards, celebrating the homes and individuals who have gone above and beyond with the project.
It was also a real privilege to welcome Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England at NHS England and Improvement to co-present the awards to the winners. Ruth has been supporter of the LPZ project from the very start and has been impressed with the work of the East Midlands care home staff and the growth of the project over the past five years.
It was also rewarding for the homes to hear directly from Ruth about the key initiatives she is leading, which include promoting 2020 as the Year of Nurse and Midwife NHS – a campaign to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year and reinforce the importance of the outstanding work of NHS and care staff to provide world-class care for people and communities we serve.
I would like to take this opportunity to add my personal thanks and congratulations to not just the winners, but to all of the shortlisted nominees. You can find out more about LPZ and the awards event here but in the summary the winners were:
- LPZ Outstanding Individual of the Year – Jack Titterton Care Home Manager at Church Farm Nursing Home(Cogtrave, Nottingham)
- Highly commended in the LPZ Outstanding Individual of the Year category – Yasmin Russell from Chestnut View Care Home (Debry)
- LPZ Care Home of the Year – Chestnut View Care Home (Derby)
- LPZ Care Home Manager of the Year – Jane Borland, Rathgar Care Home (Northampton)
- LPZ Innovation of the Year – Landermeads Care Home (Beeston, Nottingham)
- LPZ Supporting Team of the Year – Wren Hall Nursing Home Catering Team (Selston, Nottingham)
- Highly commended in the LPZ Supporting Team of the Year category – Church Farm Nursing Home (Cogtrave, Nottingham)
- LPZ Ambassador – Anita Astle, Wren Hall Nursing Home (Selston, Nottingham)
Whilst everyone involved in this fantastic project is a winner, one example that really stood out to me was the LPZ Ambassador award for Antia Astle, who is the Managing Director of Wren Hall Nursing Home in Nottingham and has been part of the project since its inception.
Their home has recently been rated outstanding in all five domains by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) and was able to use their LPZ results to provide evidence of standards and improvements.
So, what’s next for LPZ?
As I mentioned, LPZ is now officially the biggest care home audit in the country.
This is testament to the hard work of the East Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative, our partners and all the care home staff who have shown so much passion, dedication and enthusiasm to use the initiative to improve the care for residents.
Our work in the East Midlands has had an international impact, and our experiences, learning and expertise in implementing the tool has been adapted by other countries within Europe.
Clearly there is more we can do, and I am keen to explore the potential to further expand LPZ not only within the East Midlands but also nationally.
With this in mind we are continuing to evaluate the project and scope for wider adoption, so watch this space!
If you are interested in getting involved in this fantastic project, or just want more information, please visit our LPZ webpage.