MKUH Shortlisted for the 2023 HSJ Patient Safety Awards
We are thrilled to share the news that MKUH has been shortlisted in this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards, which recognises safety, culture and positive experience in patient care.
Our ‘Controlling the Built Environment with Digital Twins’ pilot project has received recognition under the category of ‘Early-Stage Patient Safety Innovation of the Year.’ The project was initially a collaborative piece of work between our Head of Digital Innovation, Claire Orchard, Head of Cancer Services, Sally Burnie, and the nursing team within our Cancer Ward. It has since extended further to include the Facilities and Estate team and office based staff.
The HSJ Patient Safety Awards acknowledge the hard-working teams and individuals across the UK who are continually striving to deliver improved patient care. This year the awards received a record-breaking 515 entries, with 209 organisations, projects and individuals making it to the final shortlist. Following a thorough judging process, MKUH was shortlisted ahead of the official awards ceremony to be held later this year in Manchester (September 18th).
Working in partnership with Finnish provider Haltian, our shortlisted project utilises the IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and an RTLS (Real Time Locating System) to develop a digital replica of a healthcare environment. Initially situated in the Cancer Centre inpatient ward, the project set out to introduce a solution whereby staff would feel better supported in caring for patients in single rooms and then look at ways in which we could introduce innovative processes and products that created an improved ward environment.
Known as a ‘Digital Twin’, the system collected data about room occupancy, the location of critical medical equipment, and the general movement of people on the ward. The Digital Twin was then visualised as an interactive map that could be accessed by staff on a computer and smartphone. The results were that clinical staff could view and react to real-time events instantly and without the need to disturb patients. The system has now become a key feature to enhancing productivity on the ward.
Head of Digital Innovation, Claire Orchard said, “We are incredibly excited to be shortlisted for the award. The team have worked exceptionally hard to bring this project together, and I would very much like to thank the ward staff and clinical teams for their support and enthusiasm to bring this project alive. The outcome has been a system that has become a business-as-usual feature on our Cancer Centre ward, helping staff to provide the best possible care to our patients.
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “As always, it’s a pleasure at this stage of our lengthy judging process, to be able to offer my congratulations to Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust as the shortlisted finalists are revealed for this years’ HSJ Patient Safety Awards.
“Every one of the projects, Trusts, teams and individuals who entered this year have truly demonstrated their skills in setting – and delivering – the highest of standards in healthcare excellence, presenting our venerable panel of judges with some difficult decisions.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming our finalists to the awards ceremony in September, where we’ll have a fantastic opportunity to come together and celebrate some really impressive achievements, whilst sharing experiences, best practice and learning from our colleagues working in a diverse range of roles across the healthcare sector.”
The full list of finalists for the 2023 HSJ Patient Safety Awards can be found at https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/shortlist-2023.
Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Manchester Central, on September 18th, 2023. For more information about our project, visit our website here: https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk/news/empathic-building-pilot-helps-to-shape-future-delivery-of-care-at-mkuh
Last Modified: 12:06pm 22/06/2023
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