Staff and volunteers have been recognised at national and regional level this year for their hard work to improve care and services for our patients.
In July our innovative new Mental Health Urgent Care Department was shortlisted for four national awards.
It is the first of its kind in Essex and provides urgent mental health support for anyone over 18 in mid and south Essex, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The urgent care department was shortlisted in three categories of The Nursing Times Awards for Critical and Emergency Care Nursing, HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care, and Nursing in Mental Health.
It was also a finalist in the Royal College of Nursing Awards for the Mental Health Nursing category.
Last month our Patient Experience Team were named as finalists in the East of England Great British Care Awards.
They work closely with patients, families and carers, ensuring they are recognised for their valuable contribution to shaping our services.
The team were finalists for the Co-Production Award for their work on our Reward and Recognition policy for lived experience ambassadors (LEAs).
The policy was developed in August 2022 to encourage authentic co-production within the Trust and ensure our LEAs receive recognition for their contribution.
Our Transitions Psychology Service was shortlisted for an HSJ Award in the category of Mental Health Innovation of the Year in August.
The Essex-wide service offers intensive, long-term support to people with personality disorders who are continuing their recovery in the community following lengthy periods of care on mental health inpatient wards.
The team of psychologists and psychotherapists work with patients who have experienced trauma to increase stability, mental wellbeing and quality of life and reduce the likelihood of re-admission to inpatient care.
Three volunteers who have worked with us to develop new services for people with young-onset dementia won a national award in May for their outstanding work.
Paul Harvey, Eamonn Dobbyn and Tim Little were awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award 2023 at the Alzheimer’s Society’s national Dementia Hero Awards event.
The trio have personal experience of young-onset dementia and have helped us and partners in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System co-design and develop services for other people with the same condition.
Their valued work has resulted in new peer support and diagnosis services, and a Memory Assessment Service, which is currently being piloted, for people aged under 65. The new diagnosis service is run by EPUT.
Our new care co-ordination system improving personalised care for thousands of frail and elderly patients across Mid and South Essex also won a national award.
The electronic frailty care co-ordination system, a partnership project between our Trust and Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), was named winner of an HSJ Award in the category of Data-Driven Transformation.
The new tool enables everyone involved in a patient’s care to better understand their needs and ensure they receive personalised and joined up end of life, frailty and dementia care.
The system is already having a positive impact on patient care, reducing incidents of patients being re-admitted to hospital following discharge and supporting patients to make decisions about their care and future.
And finally our safety lead and one of our nurses were also recognised for their outstanding work in October.
Prince Adoe won the Rising Star – Excellence in Nursing accolade and Moriam Adekunle received a Special Recognition Award at Zenith Global Health’s Global Health Awards and Summit. Moriam Adekunle is our Director of Safety and Patient Safety Specialist and is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Florence Nightingale Scholar, with more than 27 years’ experience.
She has been at the forefront of enhancing safety and patient care since joining our Trust in 2021.