Two teams from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals are finalists in the Nursing Times Awards which will be decided at a glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London later this month.
The South Neighbourhood MDT and Blackpool Health Visiting Service will both be hopeful of collecting the silverware at the prestigious event on Wednesday 27 October.
South Neighbourhood MDT are shortlisted in the HRH The Prince of Wales award for Integrated Approaches to Care. The team’s award submission focused on the MDT and their extended partnerships they have within the group.
“The MDT comprises many agencies including NHS Trust staff, Primary Care Network staff, Blackpool Football Club Community Programmes, Social Enterprise, The Carers Centre, Blackpool Police, Children’s Services and Social Care.
Speaking about their nomination Kay Dalton, Deputy Head of Locality (Fylde) & Night Service Team Leader said: “As a Neighbourhood community team we identified the need for a wider spectrum of professionals to interact with our patients. We acknowledged that patient’s health issues had many contributing factors that external partners could provide support for.
“We hold a weekly virtual team meeting where every member has an equal voice and we can, as a team, discuss patients with complex issues such as physical and mental health, social problems, loneliness, housing, care needs and financial problems. “We then assign the patient to the most appropriate team member or members for assessment and actions.
“We have been holding the meeting virtually since Covid lockdown in March 2020, but we find this is an improved way of meeting as it reduces time away from duties. All four surgeries within the South Neighbourhood Primary Care Network are now able to attend along with our external partners.”
The Blackpool Health Visiting Service are shortlisted in the Public Health Nursing category after introducing a range of initiatives which have increased health visitor contacts and reduced gaps between nationally mandated visits.
Speaking about their entry, Vicky Hunter, Team Leader in Universal Services said: “Our entry is for the transformation of the Blackpool Health Visiting Service, the key aims of this transformation were to enable caregivers to promote their child’s health and development so that they are happy, healthy, and ready to learn at school.”