New clinical hub initiative shortlisted for national award
(left to right) Becca Lawrence, Emma Hill, Josh Byrne Smith, Hollie Simpson and Colin Gardner
A Kent health project, which is helping to keep patients safe, well and out of hospital, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.
The east Kent integrated clinical hub, involving South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s (SECAmb), East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, has been shortlisted for a 2024 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Award.
The hub, which was first set up as a trial in November 2023, has been shortlisted in the HSJ Performance Recovery Award category for improving responses to patients who are waiting for an ambulance, helping people who are not critically ill or injured to get help from other services and avoiding the need for admission to A&E.
From November 2023 to mid-January 2024, nearly 800 patients avoided admission to the emergency department thanks to the project, which saw 180 same-day GP appointments arranged, along with referrals to alternative support from community teams and same-day emergency care at home.
Alexandra Baxter, Head of Urgent Care for Kent Community Health Foundation Trust, said: “The hub is so much more than the sum of its parts. This is true integrated working, happening in real time for the benefit of our communities, as well as saving time and money for the health service. I feel very privileged to be part of such a transformational initiative.”
SECAmb Operations Manager, Nakai Redman from East Kent Operating Unit said: “The hub has grown from strength to strength over the past nine months and as a team it is incredibly rewarding to know that we have improved our response to patients. This success is all credit to the fantastic group of clinicians from the Kent healthcare system.”
Diwakar Sharma, Consultant and Clinical Network Lead for Emergency Departments for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said: “For some of our patients, particularly our frail and vulnerable ones, a prolonged stay in hospital can be highly distressing and detrimental to their long-term recovery.
"Through integrated working, we have a real opportunity to give people alternatives to hospital admission, allowing our emergency department colleagues to concentrate on providing emergency care to those who need it the most. This is in line with the wider NHS strategy to optimise existing resources, helping to improve productivity, patient experience and staff satisfaction.”
The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday, 21 November, in London.
The full shortlist for the 2024 HSJ Awards can be found here.
