News

On the 20th of April, NHS staff came together at an event in Leeds to discuss ‘Improving Patient Quality and Safety in the Emergency Department (ED)’.

Hosted by the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network and the Improvement Academy, delegates had the opportunity to listen to a range of presentations, participate in group work and network.

The one-day event featured delegates from the Yorkshire Ambulance Trust, Wakefield CCG and various hospitals across the region including: Airedale NHS Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospital Trust, Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, York Teaching Hospital NHS Trust.

The event featured presentations which discussed patient safety in the ED including:

• Patient Safety in the ED: the national perspective by Dr Sally-Anne Wilson, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Patient Safety Manager, Improvement Academy.
• Patient Safety in the ED: the local perspective by Janet Youd, Emergency Nurse Consultant, Calderdale and NHS Foundation Trust.
• The patient perspective – Carol Stevens
• The Impact of Culture on Safety- Alison Lovatt, Director of Nursing, Improvement Academy.
• The ED Patient Safety checklist- Dr Emma Redfern, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust).
• The ABC approach to change (delivered by Mel Johnson, Improvement Academy).

Over the lunch break, delegates were invited to visit the improvement market place and talk to various innovators.

In the afternoon, attendees including patient representatives participated in group work and plenary discussions exploring what stops quality improvement and how to improve patient safety. The day concluded with delegates encouraged to come up with one idea to take away from the day for potential adoption in their Emergency Department.

Feedback from delegates was very positive. Here’s what they had to say:

‘’It was great to share experiences/patient safety issues with other Trusts in Yorkshire and the Humber.’’

‘’Enjoyable day overall. Great to network with other Trusts. Talk by Emma Redfern was very interesting’’

‘’Really enjoyed the patient representative presentation. I also thought Janet Youd and Dr Redfern were strong presenters who offered honest insight and hope.’’

‘‘Really good speakers, especially from a patient’s experience’’