South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were delighted to win first place in the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Category at the ceremony for a project to reduce patient harm associated with Acute Kidney Injury.
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a syndrome of abrupt kidney dysfunction that commonly complicates acute illness and independently worsens patient outcomes. AKI is considered a Patient Safety Thermometer, since its presence usually indicates that a patient’s condition is deteriorating. This is common in unwell surgical patients, and yet avoidable patient harm associated with AKI is often under-recognised by surgical teams across the country. South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have developed a sustainable “AKI Aware” Programme across the organisation, with the aim of limiting patient safety risks associated with AKI on surgical units. The Programme involves an inclusive approach, utilising the delivery of workshops to promote the uptake and correct use of the AKI guidelines.
The event was attended on behalf of the programme by the lead Dr. Jonathan Murray, Renal Consultant, Clare Allinson, Renal Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Ruth James, Director of Quality and Mr Tony Roberts, Deputy Director (Clinical Effectiveness) from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who collaborated with Dr. Mark Ratnarajah, Managing Director (UK) CRAB Clinical Informatics Limited and they were also joined by Prof. Andrew Owens, Consultant Cardiothoracics Surgeon and Director of Education, Research and Innovation, Dr Caroline Wroe, Renal Consultant and Director of Research and Innovation and Tim Shipley, Renal Consultant at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were also winners as part of the project to improve testing for Bladder Cancer, where along with a number of NHS Trusts and Arquer Diagnostics they were winners of the Outstanding Industry Collaboration award. The idea was a breakthrough, non-invasive urine test for bladder cancer and present at the awards ceremony were representatives of the Arquer Diagnostics team – Nadia Whittley, Tristan Sillars and Louise Flintoft, alongside representatives of the partnership NHS institutions – Mr Stuart McCraken, Consultant Urologist at Sunderland Hospital, Sue Asterling, Urology research nurse, and our very own Jo Cresswell, Consultant Urologist.
The Bright Ideas in Health Awards 2017 is now in its fourteenth year and this year's awards were delivered by RTC North in partnership with the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria and the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria.
The Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams working within the NHS, industry and academia, who have risen to the challenge of telling us how, and where, they believe that improvements to the service provided to patients can be improved, either through a technical innovation or through better service delivery.
Everyone can play a part in developing innovative solutions to the healthcare challenges that we face every day. The competition, depending upon the category, is open to all NHS organisations, SMEs and academic institutions in the North East of England and North Cumbria.
Information about all the finalists of the Bright Ideas in Health can be found here.
If you would like to know more about Innovation at South Tees then please contact the Innovation Team on 01642 854199 or email stees.ideas@nhs.net
