3 NUH Shared Governance council projects nominated for PEN National Awards
The Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA) is the first and only awards programme to recognise best practice in patient experience across all facets of health and social care in the UK.
Now in its 12th year and with over 20 awards categories to enter, the Awards brings together innovative and hardworking healthcare teams and organisations from across the country.
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) have 6 projects shortlisted for 11 awards for #PENNA22, this includes 3 Shared Governance council projects:
- External Ventricular Drains - D10 Shared Governance Council
- Maintaining Patient Dignity - The BAME Wig Project
- Revised Popper Gown Project
Some projects have earned places on the shortlist of multiple categories.
Here is a bit more information on the shortlisted finalists:
External Ventricular Drains - D10 Shared Governance Council
This project identified the need for education around the clinical management and care of External Ventricular Drains (EVD), following observation of colleagues in practice. As a result, using a simple but innovative method, blue pillowcases were introduced to identify those patients with an EVD. The Shared Governance council from D10 ward then went on to design and test a nursing tool in the form of a sticker, which can be attached to the bed.
Through working with colleagues, this piece of work has been sustained in practice, and by sharing their work at Leadership Council, with Divisional colleagues and at the Shared Governance Annual Conference, has been disseminated and transferred to other clinical areas. This has subsequently led to patients not only benefitting from improved clinical care, but also an improved experience for colleagues who are non-clinical.
Maintaining Patient Dignity – The BAME Wig Project
The BAME shared governance council recognised the need for providing appropriate wigs for our BAME cancer patients who have experienced alopecia following chemotherapy treatment. Having received feedback about emotional trauma associated with the loss of respect and dignity because of being offered inappropriate wigs, the council wanted to restore patient dignity, thus resulting in this innovative project.
The overall outcome has been the dissemination and the transferring of the project across the Trust to all patients suffering from alopecia, with the intention of sharing good practice regionally, nationally and internationally. Initially, the project was for patients from a minority ethnic background but it has now expanded to all patients making it inclusive to all who suffer with alopecia.
Revised Popper Gown Project
This project came about when the Chief Nurse encouraged Ward F22 Shared Governance Council to create a gown that was fit for purpose, resulting in a Healthcare Support Worker demonstrating leadership and new thinking to alter the current hospital gown to have poppers on the sleeves, which decreases potential risk factors and improves line care, infection control and patient safety and experience.
The project was focused on and involved high acuity patient areas throughout the pandemic such as critical care, high dependency, level 1 wards and high demand line care areas with PICC lines and Hickman lines. Further research showed the gown was versatile to fit in with other specialities such as Maternity for skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding access, Emergency Medicine, Orthopaedics, Healthcare of the Older Person and Ear, Nose and Throat care, making it an innovation transferable Trust wide. The Shared Governance model of clinical leadership was successfully demonstrated with an excellent outcome.
We are very proud of all teams behind these shortlisted projects and wish them the best of luck for this year's Patient Experience Network National Awards ceremony on the 28th September 2022.
You can find out more about Shared Governance here.