Published on: 16th July 2018
Four health services across Lincolnshire are celebrating being shortlisted in national nursing awards for their innovative practice in adult and veteran’s mental health care, surgery and children and young people’s services.
Teams from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have been announced as finalists in the 2018 Nursing Times Awards, recognising the country’s most outstanding healthcare services as well as some of the NHS’s most cutting-edge innovators.
LPFT’s acute wards for adults with mental health problems and specialist support for veterans are two of 11 finalists in this year’s Nursing in Mental Health category. Alongside the Young Mind Matters service in North East Lincolnshire whose work on a new wellbeing passport has been shortlisted in the Child and Adolescent Services category. The local hospital trust ULHT also feature for their work in Surgical Nursing.
The team that manage the acute mental health wards in Lincoln and Boston are being recognised for their work on improving the quality and patient experience of one to one observations in a crisis. Staff and patients on the wards have worked closely to develop new processes, training and videos focusing on how to make the best use of observations to support patients.
Serena Trevey, who manages the local adult mental health wards for LPFT was proud of the joint work with patients on a difficult process needed to keep patients safe.
We recognise that needing to be cared for on a mental health ward is often hard and then having to be closely observed by a member of staff can feel like an intrusion of privacy. Patient observation is an important part of keeping people safe, so we needed to work with patients to ensure this is done as sensitively and effectively as possible. We are really pleased that the Nursing Times are recognising this joint partnership with our patients, as it was really important for us that they led the discussions.
The Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS), which LPFT delivers in Lincolnshire as part of a Midlands and East partnership has also been shortlisted in the Mental Health Nursing category for their dedicated service for those leaving the Armed Forces and Veterans.
The partnership of Essex Partnership University NHS Trust, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, Walking with the Wounded (WWTW) and Mental Health Matters, offers increased access to local services for veterans struggling with their mental health, ensuring they get the care and treatment they so rightly deserve.
Paula Jelly, the lead for Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Services (TILS) in Lincolnshire said:
I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of this partnership across such a large geographical area has been acknowledged for the tremendous work undertaken for veterans. The team are committed to ensuring that veterans and their families receive a high quality service that upholds the principles of the Government’s Armed Forces Covenant.
Just over the border in North East Lincolnshire, the Young Minds Matter service also run by LPFT features in the Child and Adolescent Services category for their new wellbeing passport for children and young people with mental health problems.
The wellbeing passport is a personalised document that young people can complete and keep with them to share with health professionals and eradicate the need to tell their story over and over again. As well as being a record of the skills and goals they have achieved during treatment that they can reflect back on.
Acute Care Practitioner, Rebecca Bentley who is part of the vascular team at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been shortlisted in the Surgical Nursing category for the work she has done to develop a vascular access service.
Rebecca said: “
I am so proud to have been nominated and shortlisted for the Nursing Times award on behalf of the amazing vascular team at ULHT. This is a real positive achievement for the Trust and showcases the hard work the vascular team have done.
I helped to set up the service which means we are now able to help our cancer patients and those with vascular disease by having a dedicated team who can be called to their bedside, assess them and offer them better and less harmful options for accessing their veins.
This can happen sooner as the procedure no longer needs to be done in theatre and checked with a X-ray. The team now insert lines using ultrasound that can remain in place for up to a year, even when the patient returns home. This prevents further damage to the veins by medical staff trying to insert cannulas every time the patient requires treatment.
Rebecca added:
We really have revolutionised how this is done at the Trust and it is so much better for our patients as not only can be do it in a more timely manner, but it also reduces their exposure to radiation and reduces their risk of infection.
All the finalists are now required to complete presentations and interviews with a judging panel comprising of senior and influential figures in the healthcare industry, ahead of the showpiece event at Grosvenor House, London on 31 October, later this year.
