Royal Surrey named winners at HSJ Patient Safety Awards | News

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust’s Frailty Team has been honoured at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards for their innovative approach to improving safety and care quality for older patients.

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are among the most respected awards in the healthcare community, celebrating teams and organisations that go above and beyond to protect patients and improve safety standards. This year, they received 456 entries, with 216 projects shortlisted, and just 25 winners selected by a panel of expert judges.

The Frailty Academy was awarded the Patient Safety Education and Training Award, while the Integrated Frailty Crisis Pathway team was highly commended in the Improving Care for Older People category. Dr James Adams, Consultant Geriatrician who has been instrumental in the development of both initiatives, said:

“We're incredibly proud to see two of our frailty initiatives recognised at a national level. The academy is original and innovative with enormous potential for scalability across the NHS. It has trained over 6,000 professionals through a whole system interdisciplinary approach and it is a key enabler to a sustainable health and care system. We’re delighted that the HSJ has acknowledged this through this award.

“Unlike many acute trusts, we have the opportunity to have a lasting impact on improving quality and safety of older people’s care through joining up pathways and embedding quality improvement principles. The highly commended award recognises our unique approach to transforming these pathways which has led to real benefits for our local population. Together, these achievements reflect our commitment to transforming care for older people across the entire patient journey."

Frailty is a clinical condition characterised by lack of reserve in the face of certain events, such as changes in environment, having an operation, response to new medications or being unwell for any reason. This can lead to confusion, falls and sudden changes in being able to walk or look after themselves. Frailty is associated with poorer outcomes and a higher risk of unnecessary admission to hospital. 

Frailty Academy wins Patient Safety Education and Training Award

The Frailty Academy was awarded the Patient Safety Education and Training Award in recognition of its comprehensive education programme that has trained more than 6,000 health and care professionals across Surrey Heartlands, helping them identify and manage people living with frailty. 

This widespread participation has helped professionals recognise the signs of frailty and provide care for it as a long-term condition, bridging gaps in knowledge and skills. The academy was praised by the HSJ for its potential for wider adoption across the NHS to drive system-level improvements and was one of the best submissions the awards has ever received.

Integrated Frailty Crisis Pathway highly commended

The Integrated Frailty Crisis Pathway team was also recognised for the impact of their work. They were highly commended in the Improving Care for Older People category for their work providing streamlined, coordinated care for frailty patients during frailty crises. 

Comprising a range of healthcare professionals working together, this team helps older people get the right care whether they're in hospital or at home. They work with the trust's Emergency Department, Same Day Emergency Care, Urgent Community Response Team and Hospital at Home service. This joined-up approach means older people are more likely to leave hospital and return to their own homes - with 66 per cent fewer needing to move to care homes. Their work has also reduced the length of hospital stays, readmissions, and emergency department visits.

HSJ Editor Alastair McLellan said:

“The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are a vital platform for celebrating the efforts of healthcare staff who continually strive to reduce risk and protect patients. This year’s winners have shown remarkable innovation, resilience, and commitment to improving outcomes for patients, and they should be incredibly proud of their achievements.”