Two nursing teams under spotlight for leading care
Two leading teams from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have been shortlisted for the prestigious Nursing Times awards.
The Alcohol Care Team and the Paediatric Virtual Ward service have been spotlighted for the innovative way they are caring for patients across Sandwell and West Birmingham.
Patients with alcohol withdrawal symptoms are traditionally prescribed benzodiazepine medications such as diazepam.
However, the Alcohol Care Team has been researching the effectiveness of prescribing small amounts of alcohol (ethanol) to manage withdrawal symptoms, such as severe agitation, palpitations and tremors. The team have been shortlisted for the Critical and Emergency Care Nursing Award.
Meanwhile the Paediatric Virtual Ward team have been highlighted for reducing 3,000 bed days for patients, which equate to savings of around £1.4 million a year. They are nominated for the Children’s Services award.
Sophie Harris, Lead Nurse, said: “Over 18 months we have had 1,300 referrals, and our capacity has been above 100 per cent on a monthly average since August 2023. In May 2024 we have had our highest ever number of referrals with 104 patients, 18 of these were directly from clinics or single point of access and a further 23 were from the assessment unit.
“We were also the first virtual ward team within the region to work alongside Docobo to launch digital monitoring for patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed nephrotic syndrome. By March 2024, we’ve saved 160 hospital bed days equating to a saving of £86,000 with overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients and their families.
The team have ensured that as part of our initiative we are constantly developing and supporting the needs of the local population.”
The ceremony will take place in October at a London venue.
By Anuji Evans - Contributor
