We are excited to share that Health Innovation East Midlands’ work with Lincolnshire Community Health Services has been shortlisted for the Community Care Initiative of the Year award at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards which recognises safety, culture and positive experience in patient care.

 The HSJ Patient Safety Awards acknowledges the hard-working teams and individuals across the UK who are continually striving to deliver improved patient care.

Using the National Wound Care Strategy Programme recommendations, Health Innovation East Midlands has worked with the Lincolnshire Community Health Services team to transform the pathway for housebound (non-diabetic) patients with lower leg wounds.

The new pathway includes an in-depth initial assessment by specifically trained staff at their home. These patients now have access to evidenced based treatments earlier, resulting in quicker healing, improved mobility and better quality of life.

Almost 20% of patients are being healed within twelve weeks from the initial assessment, despite some having had wounds for over eighteen months prior to the new pathway. By implementing the programme the team have saved up to 240 hours of clinical time, a huge amount for such a small team.

Rich McBain, Senior Improvement Lead at HIEM said: “We’re excited to have been shortlisted for the award. With HIEM’s support, the Lincolnshire team has changed the way they deliver care to housebound patients in the coastal area of Skegness and Mablethorpe, which has an elderly and infirm demographic.  The new service will help more patients to be seen more quickly by the team and it is now being rolled out to other areas of Lincolnshire.”

The Awards are a highlight of the HSJ’s annual 2-day Patient Safety Congress (taking place on 16 & 17 September), where delegates working at the forefront of safety, quality and clinical excellence come together to join in on open and honest discussions about the current reality of safety.

The full list of finalists for the 2024 HSJ Patient Safety Awards can be found at https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/shortlist-2024.

Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Manchester Central, on September 16^th 2024.