The ‘Clinical Team of the Year’ award spotlights a medical or clinical team who work well together within their department to deliver high quality care to patients. This year the accolade was presented to the Skin Integrity Team, a dedicated group of specialist staff that provide wound care advice and support to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
In the last 12 months, the team has worked to transform their service by forming partnerships with wider healthcare providers in the local area. This collaboration has supplied these partners with invaluable training and resources, subsequently broadening the experience of local services to offer skilled wound care and allowing patients to attend their GP surgery or receive a home visit instead of attending hospital.
Within the department, the team has also developed a new lower leg care pathway for patients which enables a more efficient diagnosis and treatment process. Implemented with skill, dedication and energy, the strategy has successfully achieved a 100% improvement in lower limb assessments being undertaken within 14 days of referral – a remarkable achievement for the team which provides patients with care of the highest possible standard.
The Skin Integrity team has also continued their fantastic work in pressure ulcer prevention by introducing specialist staff training and implementing hybrid air mattresses across wards. A common problem in hospitals, pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, develop when the skin and underlying tissue becomes damaged usually from being confined to lying in a bed or sitting for long periods of time. They can range in severity and cause distress to both patients and their carers.
The introduction of new training has equipped colleagues with enhanced skills to prepare appropriate prevention plans whilst patients are in hospital, leading to a fantastic 12% reduction of moderate pressure ulcer cases in the last 12 months. What’s more, the technical developments in mattress innovation implemented in the hospitals aims to significantly decrease pressure ulcer cases and reduce the need to move patients to different beds by altering the pressure of the mattress in accordance with the patient’s condition. This has benefited patients across all departments, but most notably the hospital’s older and infirm patients who are particularly vulnerable to pressure ulcers.
Speaking about the award, Kelly Moore, Lead Nurse within the Skin Integrity team, said: “Winning this award has been the cherry on top of the cake after being shortlisted this year. It’s allowed us to put everything into perspective and confirm that even on the hard days we are doing the right thing for our patients. The evening enabled us to have time together celebrating with our colleagues across the Trust and showed the hard work and commitment of the team has not gone unnoticed. ”
The amazing contributions of the Skin Integrity team in smashing their targets this year showcases their delivery of exceptional care at DBTH which has made huge positive impacts on patient experience whilst in hospital.
Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive at DBTH, said: “I am delighted by the amazing contributions of the Skin Integrity Team. Many congratulations to the staff involved in delivering excellent patient care and achieving such fantastic goals. Their impressive contributions to healthcare at DBTH have positively impacted so many patients, it was a pleasure to celebrate our colleagues’ achievements at such a fantastic event.”
The ceremony took place Thursday 20 October, with over 350 staff members in attendance to celebrate their colleagues. The Star Awards will return again next year.