LOCAL HEALTH AND CARE STAFF RECOGNISED IN FIRST EVER REGIONAL AWARDS
Eight local health and care teams were (Wednesday 3 July) announced as winners of the first ever South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw AHP Awards, including two from Barnsley.
The awards, run by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (ICS) – a partnership of all health and care organisations in Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield – celebrated innovative projects led by a range of Allied Health Professions (AHPs) across the region.
AHPs represent a broad range of health and care workers* and as the region’s third largest healthcare workforce group, AHPs have a unique opportunity to help develop and improve health and care services for local people.
The awards recognised schemes that are just as broad – from a project in Doncaster linking primary school children with people with dementia to connect the generations – to organisations in Barnsley helping people make faster recoveries by getting them the right support after a hospital stay.
Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System, presented the awards and said: “As a partnership, we want everyone in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw to have the best possible start in life with support to live well, for longer. Our workforce, of which we have over 72,000, are our biggest champions in helping to make our ambition a reality and our AHP colleagues are really leading the way in making this happen.
“There are some fantastic initiatives taking place in local neighbourhoods, organisations, towns and across the region. All our winners have shown incredible drive and determination for improving patient care and are great role models for everyone across our system.
The winners are:
AHP Public Health Champion 2019: Helen Blomfield, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Digital Practice Award 2019: The Speech and Language Stroke Therapy Team, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Workforce Award 2019: The Community Hospital Admission Avoidance Team (CHAT) from The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Quality Improvement Award: Neighbourhood/Organisation 2019: Carola Tramsen and Memory Therapy Services, Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Quality Improvement Award: Place 2019: “The Barnsley Alliance” – representing Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the Barnsley Healthcare Federation
AHP Quality Improvement Award: System 2019: The Adult Speech and Language Therapies Team from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Leader of the Year Award 2019: Amy Chambers from the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
AHP Research Impact Award 2019: The Clinical Therapies Team from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Suzanne Bolam, Chartered Physiotherapist and Lead for the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw AHP Council, said: “Given our links across a number of sectors, including acute hospitals, community providers, primary care setting, schools, ambulance services, social care and the voluntary sector, I truly believe we as AHPs have a unique opportunity to help achieve the ICS’ ambition of providing even better care, removing organisational barriers and putting the needs of people and patients first.
“I am really proud that as a group, we have been recognised as leading the way in improving care for people across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.”
For more information about the work of AHPs in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw or the Integrated Care System as a whole, please see: www.healthandcaretogethersyb.co.uk
* The term ‘AHP’ represents the following professions:
- Art Therapists
- Dietitians
- Drama Therapists
- Music Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Operating Department Practitioners
- Orthoptists
- Orthotists and Prosthetists
- Osteopaths
- Paramedics
- Physiotherapists
- Podiatrists
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Radiographers (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw is the first area in the country to develop an AHP Council.
Further background to the winners from Barnsley
- AHP Quality Improvement Award: Place 2019
Winner: “The Barnsley Alliance” – representing Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the Barnsley Healthcare Federation.
In one year, Barnsley Intermediate Care (IC) has been transformed from a medical consultant led model with relatively static activity levels, high benchmarked costs and system resilience vulnerabilities delivered by one organisation to a therapist and nurse led, agile, person centred and system resilient integrated service delivered by four organisations by investing in Alliance working and leadership.
Close partnering and collaboration was embedded from the outset not just across all stakeholder organisations in Barnsley; but also between AHPs, nurses, doctors, managers and HR and finance teams.
- AHP Leader of the Year Award 2019
Winner: Amy Chambers from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Amy joined the Trust as clinical lead in October 2017, a new post for Intermediate Care (IMC), at a time of significant change. A new specification for IMC had been developed, moving to an Alliance partnership model of service delivery: A therapy-led service across bedded facilities in the acute hospital, care homes & for patients in their homes & supporting people at times of crisis. The existing IMC wards were relocating to the therapy-led unit (acute trust); staff were going through significant change. Taking on this role would be challenging; establishing staff trust, building partnership relationships, remodelling service pathways, thresholds & staffing and Amy has succeeded in her role, taking her colleagues on the journey with her along the way.