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Healthcare staff and students from across Wales, who are delivering innovative care that is making a big difference to patients, are being urged to enter the NHS Wales Awards 2015.

Now in its eighth year, the Awards are open to teams and organisations that have come up with new ways of working that have improved the quality and safety of care for patients.

Staff who have taken part in the national learning programme Improving Quality Together (IQT), which helps them develop skills to improve care, are also encouraged to enter.

Welsh Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford said,

“In an age of austerity the pressures on our services are real. Against that background, it is especially important to recognise the efforts of staff who work so hard in caring for and supporting patients.

“The NHS Wales Awards 2015 are a chance for us to celebrate all that is good about the NHS and I would encourage anyone who works in the NHS to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate excellence in care by submitting an entry to the Awards.”

More than 140 entries were entered into the 2014 Awards and it is hoped that the 2015 Awards will attract even more submissions.

There are eight categories to enter and the awards are open to all staff, including students;

• Citizens at the centre of service re-design and delivery – work that involves patients and the public in the planning and delivery of services
• Developing a flexible and sustainable workforce – models that show how the workforce has been developed to meet specific needs such as supporting care in the community
• Improving patient safety – initiatives that prevent or reduce harm to patients
• Improving quality through better use of resources –achieving higher quality services by using resources in a more effective way including money, buildings, equipment and people
• Promoting better health and avoiding disease – clear strategies that have improved health and wellbeing of patients
• Promoting clinical research and application to practice –combining academic expertise with clinical practice to improve services
• Students improving patient safety and quality – initiatives that helped reduce or prevent harm to patients and improve care
• Working seamlessly across organisations – partnership working that has improved patient care
  There is also an Outstanding Innovation in Care Award presented to the overall winner from the eight categories.

Winners in 2014 included a project to improve patient flow in hospitals, the development of a new centre to treat alcohol related injuries and new treatment in the community for patients with leg ulcers.

The NHS Wales Awards are organised by the 1000 Lives Improvement service in Public Health Wales. Tim Heywood, Acting Director of 1000 Lives Improvement, said,

“It’s always exciting to see the range of diverse and inspiring projects that are entered into the Awards each year showing the difference NHS Wales staff are making to patient care every day.

“This is the chance to showcase that work and share best practice across Wales and I would urge staff at all levels to take advantage of this opportunity and enter their work. It could be a winner!”

The NHS Wales Awards were launched in 2008 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS. Entry forms are available at NHS Wales awards(external link) and the deadline for entries is January 30, 2015. Finalists will be revealed in March and the winners will announced in a ceremony in Cardiff in July 2015.