The national Healthcare Transformation Awards 2016 have shortlisted RightCare Barnsley in the innovations and service redesign category. This service recently won another national award and so this is the second time the Barnsley service has been put on the map.

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 person’s 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 be shortlisted for another national award as this service 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. We’ll be flying the flag for Barnsley again 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.”