Trust receives high commendation at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2023

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is thrilled to have been highly commended in the Virtual or Remote Care Initiative of the Year category at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards which recognises safety, culture and positive experience in patient care.

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards (partnered this year with Radar Healthcare and the Nursing and Midwifery Council) acknowledges the hard-working teams and individuals across the UK who, in these current times of austerity and workforce shortages, are continually striving to deliver improved patient care and a culture of safety.

A record-breaking 516 entries were received for the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2023, with 206 organisations, projects and individuals making it to the final shortlist, following two rounds of rigorous judging. The high volume - and exceptional quality – of applications once again showcased the level of commitment to patient care within the UK’s healthcare networks.

The judging panel was made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community. All finalists and winners were judged set against three clear criteria; clinical and specialist excellence; enacting organisation-wide change and service/system innovation

Following the recent mpox outbreak in May 2022, the sexual health teams of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust responded quickly, using the latest digital innovation to develop a remote monitoring service to support affected patients. The dedicated mpox remote monitoring system allows patients to complete a daily app-based questionnaire with a graded alert system, highlighting changes in symptoms, pain, or psychological wellbeing with any changes being escalated to the clinical team for assessment.

Dr Rachael Jones, Service Director of 10 Hammersmith Broadway and Clinical Lead for the mpox remote monitoring system said:

'We’re delighted to have been highly commended in this category and recognised for our digital advancements given the positive impact they have had on our community. 

“The mpox virtual monitoring system was a team effort, built on the existing work of our organisation and has proved invaluable in the remote care of people with mpox infection, many of whom had to isolate for weeks. We're really grateful to have been able to alleviate some of the pressures on our services observed at the start of the mpox outbreak.”

The digital innovation has seen over 3500 virtual reviews performed, resulting in over 147 working days of clinical time saved. Through the use of this app, the team saw high levels of patient engagement and hospitalisations were reduced from 9% to less than 6% of those affected.

The full list of Winners and those Highly Commended for the 2023 HSJ Patient Safety Awards Digital Awards can be found here.