The HSJ Patient Safety Awards was hosted by top comedian and presenter Zoe Lyons, who expertly compered the proceedings and kept the audience of more than 1,000 healthcare workers entertained as the winners to all 25 categories were revealed during the evening.
All those in attendance were pleased to applaud and acknowledge the incredible efforts and achievement of collaborative teams and individuals across the UK, committed to delivering improved patient care and a culture of safety.
An incredible 415 entries were received for the 2024 HSJ Patient Safety Awards, with 206 organisations, projects and individuals making it to the final shortlist, having gone through two rounds of rigorous judging, overseen by an impressive panel of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community.
The Leeds Maternity Health Equity team work tirelessly to embed a holistic approach to improving local health equity in maternity care by incorporating population health and life course approaches, data exploration, service user, multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaborative working.
This small team of midwives and a consultant obstetrician were established in 2022 and target their work to the areas of Leeds that have the highest disparities. Their work to improve health equity has included leading focus groups with a range of ethnically diverse communities and health inclusion groups to better understand disparities in outcomes, securing funding from Leeds Hospitals Charity to deliver maternal journal art therapy workshops, collaboration with citywide partners to offer ‘Bump and Baby Fit’ classes, piloting enhanced group antenatal care in an area of high socio-economic disadvantage and the development of a dedicated in-house maternity stop smoking service.
Jenny Roddy, Consultant Midwife Health Equity comments:
We were so honoured – and surprised! – when we heard we’d won this award, and we know it will mean a huge amount to our colleagues as well as the wider community within our workplace.
“Professional awards such as this are always a real boost to staff morale and an incentive to continue our efforts to improve the services we deliver and the overall patient experience
“Everyone across the healthcare sector knows that the HSJ awards programme is an important and high-profile platform on which to share and showcase our work, which is why we’re so overwhelmed to have been named the overall winner in the 2024 Patient Safety Awards. We hope our success will encourage colleagues to follow in our footsteps next year.”
Three other teams from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were shortlisted in the awards and also attended on the night. They were Leeds Multiple Pregnancy Specialist Midwifery Service, Missing Person Joint Criteria Led Approach team and the Occupational Therapy in Neuro Critical Care team.
The Awards Ceremony is the highlight of the HSJ’s annual 2-day Patient Safety Congress (which took place on Monday 16 and 17 September at Manchester Central), welcoming a diverse range of delegates, all working at the forefront of safety, quality and clinical excellence.
Editor of the Health Service Journal, Alastair McLellan, comments; “These really are two of the busiest days in our calendar, with the HSJ Patient Safety Awards ceremony playing a pivotal part in our 2024 Congress programme. It’s always wonderful to take some time out, to celebrate those working at the forefront of patient safety, delivering core services and always seeking new ways of overcoming some of the many challenges we’ll have discussed during the day.
“This year was no exception – and it therefore gives me great pleasure to congratulate all the very worthy winners, including the Leeds Maternity team who scooped ‘top spot’ in the category of Improving Health Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities.
“The aim of this years’ conference was to provide a space for ‘honest conversations’ about how to create safety in a system under pressure – and I believe that our winners this year truly reflected and represented this ethos”
He adds; “Once again, it’s been so heartening to see such a huge level of entries, submitted by hard-working and dedicated teams who, in these ongoing times of budget uncertainty and workforce shortages, are striving to deliver improved patient care and to ensure patient safety, education and wellbeing is at the heart of decision making at all levels.
“So, many congratulations to Leeds Teaching Hospitals and a big welcome to the HSJ Patient Safety Awards family.”
See the full list of winners and finalists for the 2024 HSJ Patient Safety Awards.