The Enhanced Nursing Care Team at Lister Hospital in Stevenage has been named Workforce Planning Team of the Year in the prestigious Our Health Heroes awards.

Organised by Skills for Health, the National Skills Academy for Health and headline sponsor Health Education England, the third annual Our Health Heroes awards took place on Friday 23^rd November at the OXO2 venue in London.

Hosted by actress Sunetra Sarker, well known for her performances in No Angels and Casualty, the afternoon tea-themed ceremony celebrated winners and runners up in seven categories.

The Workforce Planning Team of the Year award, sponsored by NHS England, champions those teams who have successfully identified and implemented innovative and cost-effective solutions to address workforce or organisational issues.

The Enhanced Nursing Care Team was set up at Lister Hospital to provide enhanced one-to-one care – or ‘special observation’ – for patients who are confused or pose a high risk to themselves or others.

The trust had previously incurred high costs in the delivery of this care, which was usually provided by unskilled agency staff, which resulted in poor patient experiences. Since the introduction of the Enhanced Nursing Care Team the trust has reported a reduction in falls, length of stay and agency spend. In addition, there has also been a higher standard of care for high-risk patients recorded.

The team has achieved this by dividing long shifts into three-hour blocks, enabling nurses to rotate between patients, which can be beneficial for both the team and the people they care for. Staff get a regular change of scene while patients get to see different staff, which brings variety to their day.

Another benefit of this specialist team is that staff can be moved around the hospital to support more high-risk patients as well as encouraging collaborative work with carers to consider less restrictive ways of managing patients according to their needs.

Ysanne Horner, Enhanced Nurse Care Practitioner Team Leader at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, said: “To be recognised as national winners is absolutely amazing and a real credit to the team we work with.

“This is for everyone in our team. We work really hard with enhanced care in our support for patients and it’s just fantastic, it really is a buzz to have won.  

“Our Health Heroes is a really important scheme which recognises the teams across the country that work so hard, often behind the scenes in patient care. We’ve met some amazing people today and their stories are fantastic.”

Emily Watts, Safer Staffing Matron at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, added: “I’m so proud to be part of the team. They deliver amazing patient care and I don’t know what I’d do without them. I’m so proud of them!”

The Research and Development Clinical Delivery Team at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire was awarded the silver trophy while Health Education England’s Rotating Paramedic Programme took home bronze.

Scott Binyon, Head of Workforce at category sponsor NHS England said: “It is vital the NHS has a workforce with the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to deliver high-quality care and our workforce planners face numerous challenges from addressing vacancy issues to the impact of technology.

“The Workforce Planning Team of the Year award recognises their hard work and I particularly congratulate our three finalists, who all show what can be done to rise to these challenges and harness the opportunities they bring.”

John Rogers, Chief Executive at Skills for Health, said: “For the third year running I’ve been taken aback by the quality of the nominations we have received for the Our Health Heroes awards.

“The Workforce Planning Team of the Year award was our second most popular team category for nominations, which just goes to show that healthcare professionals are keen to recognise and reward those, like the Enhanced Nursing Care Team, who are going the extra mile.

“Congratulations to the whole team on being named winners; this award is a testament to their hard work and dedication in improving the way they work for the benefit of their patients and the wider team.

Laura Roberts, Regional Director at headline sponsor Health Education England (HEE), said: “These award once again showcase the incredibly high standard of work and the vital role played by both apprentices and support workers. As the main sponsor of Our Health Heroes 2018 we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners.

“Support workers and apprentices are a key part of the healthcare workforce and, through our Talent for Care programme, HEE supports employers with their workforce supply. This is achieved via school engagement, volunteering, work experience, pre-employment activity, apprenticeships and access to higher education and the registered professions.”

For more information about the Our Health Heroes winners visit: www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/ohh-2018