Trust wins HSJ Patient Safety Award
NHFT are celebrating today after being announced as winners at the HSJ, Patient Safety Awards last night in Manchester.
Our pilot use of body worn cameras on mental health wards scooped the award for Best Product or Innovation in the public sector.
What the judges said about the entry: “The judges felt this winning project has ‘dared to go to new places’ and really demonstrates the remarkable individuals behind it. The huge potential for benefit in a Cinderella service made it an innovative winner and the empowering elements for both patients and staff particularly shone through."
In 2017, the Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression (PMVA) team at the Trust trialled the use of body worn cameras as a way of keeping patients and staff safer.
The reasons for the study included national concerns over abuse in care settings and evidence that police forces using them had seen significant reductions in both complaints against them and their use of force.
Before the study started the Trust put people first by asking staff and in-patients for their views, 98% were supportive of the idea.
The 12 cameras were trialled by 60 staff for three months across five wards and feedback was collected from staff and patients via focus groups and questionnaires.
83% of patients felt the cameras were of benefit, describing the main positives as things like safety for everyone, respect for staff and accurate recording.
Staff feedback included: “I think it prevents lots of aggression and puts patients’ minds at ease knowing there is a record of what happened.”
Lindsay Bennett, Manager of the PMVA department said: “We wanted to trial the use of BWC’s because we are always looking for ways to improve safety and patient care.
“We know that working together with service users so we can identify their triggers and what helps them when they do feel angry or frustrated, is the best way to avoid conflict.
“Using the footage from the Body Worn Cameras has enormous potential to help us prevent incidents and improve how we respond when they do occur as it is a really powerful way of learning.”
Chief Executive Angela Hillery said: “This is a massive achievement for the Trust as there were more than 800 entries this year from up and down the country. To be given this award is a huge honour and a testament to our culture of safety and our hardworking team at NHFT.”