HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2017: Best Patient Safety Initiative in A&E

The Emergency Department Safety Checklist was piloted at University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust in 2014 with demonstrable success in improvements in patient safety.

Since April 2016, this tool has been adopted by five EDs across four trusts and the ambulance trust to address the common challenge of ensuring patient safety during periods of crowding.

A significant achievement is the improvement in patient triage as evidenced by the average number of majors/trauma patients with a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) calculated at triage – up from 55 per cent to 84 per cent in the first four months of the programme. 

The judges felt that this entry had a significant impact on patient safety in period of crowding in ED. It has already spread across multiple organisations and using established tools has potential for wider spread across the UK.

Highly commended was Royal Derby Hospital.