NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has been shortlisted in the clinical support services category at the 2016 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value in Healthcare Awards, to be held in May.

The entry was for a new service called RightCare Barnsley which is a brokerage service for healthcare professionals aimed at preventing hospital admission when not clinically required.

The HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards recognises and rewards outstanding efficiency and improvement by the NHS. The awards continue to recognise excellent use of resources. But they also seek out examples of demonstrable improvement in outcomes, both within back office functions and clinical initiatives.

RightCare Barnsley, run in alliance with Barnsley CCG by Barnsley Hospital and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, provides a one stop shop co-ordination service for GPs and other healthcare professionals, helping people get the treatment and care they need, so they can avoid being admitted to hospital if there are more suitable alternatives for their condition.

There is a wide range of services available to support people and they are all now linked into RightCare Barnsley, so when a GP calls up, the team can assess, against that persons clinical needs, what is available and get that organised for the patient, often meaning the person can stay at home, and freeing the GP up to care for other patients rather than be tied up to secure services.

Over 1000 patients whose care has been co-ordinated through RightCare Barnsley have avoided being admitted into hospital over the past 10 months since the service started.

Brigid Reid, Chief Nurse Barnsley CCG said: “We’re extremely proud to shortlisted for this prestigious award as this is making a real difference to Barnsley people. For many, hospitals are absolutely the right place for people to be treated but actually, as we’ve seen over the past year, there are also lots of times when people can be cared for much more effectively by community services and social care.

This service not only improves the experience and outcomes for the individual but it has reduced the number of people who have been admitted to hospital in an emergency. I shall be flying the flag for Barnsley when we present to the judging panel as this really is an excellent partnership service which has real value for patients and all services in the borough.”

Karen Kelly, Director of Operations at Barnsley Hospital, said: “RightCare Barnsley ensures that patients are receiving the right care in the right setting for them, ultimately improving the overall patient journey. We are so pleased to hear that we have been shortlisted for this award and are very proud that the service is getting this public recognition.”

Sean Rayner, District Director for Services in Barnsley and Wakefield at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a great service that has really helped to improve the efficiency of care provided to the local community. We’re really pleased to see that it’s received the national recognition it truly deserves.”

Entrants demonstrated that they are striving to improve value and efficiency in healthcare and have been judged to be leading the way in this increasingly important area.

The shortlisted organisations will now complete presentations and interviews to a specific judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector.

To see a short film explaining RightCare Barnsley when it was launched visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDuGiwqNwfQ

For more information on the HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards go to https://value.hsj.co.uk/