UHNM nominated for HSJ Patient Safety Award

University Hospitals of the North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been shortlisted for a HSJ Patient Safety Award for its work in improving how patients with palliative care needs are identified and supported in the Emergency Department (ED).
 
‘Right Care, Right Time: Palliative care in the Emergency Department’, has been nominated in the ‘Palliative & End of Life Safety Initiative of the Year’ category.
 
The project helps identify patients earlier on in their arrival to ED so they can receive faster specialist support and more holistic care planning.
 
UHNM introduced a specialist palliative care ‘front door’ model in ED, supported by the HRD-flow tool (High Risk of Delayed Transfer of Care (HRD), alongside twice-daily multidisciplinary huddles and earlier involvement of the specialist team.
 
Early findings (January - February 2025) showed 60 patients were identified using the HRD-flow tool, 38 receiving specialist face-to-face palliative care assessments. Of these, 41 were admitted and 19 were discharged the same day, while referrals from ED have also doubled from 350 to 700 over eight months compared with the same time frame last year, with early signs that length of stay reduced during the pilot period.
 
The HRD-flow tool uses real-time information from GP, hospital and social care records to identify patients at risk of delayed discharge earlier in their hospital stay.
 
Charmaine Butcher, palliative care nurse practitioner and end of life lead nurse, said: “I’m thrilled that the team behind the project has been shortlisted for these awards, and this recognition reflects the importance of identifying patients earlier so we can focus on what matters to them and support families sooner.”
 
Dr Andrew Davy, GP lead for research and development in ED, said: “We’re identifying need earlier and working closely across teams to put the right care in place from the start. It’s improving flow and helping ensure care is better aligned with patients’ wishes.”

David Fletcher, director of care at Katharine House Hospice and chair of the Integrated Care Board’s Palliative and End of Life Care Clinical Improvement Group, said: “This is an important and credible patient safety improvement initiative that helps identify patients with palliative and end of life care needs earlier, so the right plans, support and clinical decision-making can be put in place. By strengthening collaboration across acute, community and hospice services, the project is improving safety, coordination and patient-centred care for a highly vulnerable group of patients.”