Community falls project wins top award

Wednesday 25 May 2016


HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards - Community Health Service Redesign

An innovative project to help older people who are at risk of suffering a fall has won a prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value in Healthcare Award.

Guy's and St Thomas' community rehabilitation and falls team was named as the winner of the Value and Improvement in Community Health Service Redesign category at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 24 May.

The team runs more than 20 ‘strength and balance’ exercise classes in Lambeth and Southwark and provides one-to-one treatment in people's homes.  

Dr Mark Kinirons, Clinical Director of Adult Community Services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, says: “The strength and balance classes are an outstanding example of prevention and early intervention. The evidence is that, as a result of running these classes, we will see a reduction in falls and therefore ambulance calls, A&E attendances and fracture operations.

“We are also finding that the classes are providing an opportunity for those attending to make new friends and reduce their social isolation. We are supporting local elderly people to stay fit and remain in their own homes.”

The judging panel, which included senior and influential figures from the health sector, praised the community rehabilitation and falls team as “resourceful and innovative in their approach to service delivery” and for their “good use of community assets, as well as a creative use of workforce”.

Essentia – Guy’s and St Thomas’ estates, facilities, capital development and IT directorate – won the Value and Improvement in Non-clinical Support Services category for redesigning and redeveloping Sterile Services which sterilises 10 million instruments a year for the Trust and other organisations. New, state-of-the-art equipment has improved turnaround times and quality.

Essentia was also highly commended in the Value and Improvement in Estate Management category for the St Thomas’ East Wing recladding project. This innovative and sustainable solution encased the 13-storey tower in a glazed façade, weatherproofing it and improving energy efficiency.

Peter George Jones, Essentia Chief Operating Officer, says: “It’s fantastic to see two very different aspects of our work recognised. Investing in sterile services has reduced delays in operating theatres and improved patient safety while generating more income for the NHS. We’re also very proud that the East Wing improvements were delivered without cancelling any appointments or treatment.”

King’s Health Partners Women’s Health Clinical Academic Group won the award category for the best use of IT to drive value in clinical services. The award was for the team’s work on the QUiPP app which helps doctors to better identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely.

Development of the app was led by Andrew Shennan, Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London and consultant obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.  

 

Last updated: March 2022

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