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Tuesday 28 May 2024

A Worcestershire nurse has received a Regional NHS Champion Award for arranging a new supply of hybrid mattresses for hospital patients to improve patient safety and save the NHS £1million.

Claire Hughes, the Lead Nurse for Tissue Viability at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust worked with the Procurement and Supplies team to arrange a new contract for high-specification hybrid mattresses which improve patient safety by providing a higher quality pressure-relieving surface that reduces the risk of patients developing pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers are injuries that break down the skin and underlying tissue when an area of skin is placed under pressure. They are sometimes known as “bedsores” or “pressure sores”.

The new contract that Claire helped organise also provides an incredible saving to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust of £1million over four years.

Claire received her Regional NHS Champion in Support of Procurement Award at the Midlands and East of England Excellence in Supply Awards in a ceremony run by the Health Care Supply Association (HCSA), which is affiliated with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

The award win recognised the close collaboration between Claire and the Procurement and Supplies team who worked together to help deliver this improvement in patient safety and drastic cost-saving.

Claire led discussions with clinical stakeholders to develop a specification that ensured the final product was fit for purpose and worked closely with the procurement team to ensure crucial deadlines were met.

Clinical Procurement Nurse Lead at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Claire Moses said: “Claire’s commitment to delivering quality care in collaboration with procurement led to the successful implementation of this contract. Claire has worked beyond what is expected of her and is very worthy of this award.”