St Giles Hospice celebrates national nursing award shortlisting

A tool that helps hospice nurses decide which patients at home need to be seen first has earned St Giles Hospice a place on the shortlist at the national Nursing Times Awards.

The hospice, which provides specialist palliative and end of life care across Staffordshire, North Birmingham and surrounding areas, was shortlisted in the Nursing in the Community category for its RUN-PC Triage Tool. It was up against NHS trusts and integrated care boards from across the country.

Rebecca Powell, Head of Clinical Operations, and Charlotte Lowbridge, Clinical Lead for the Community team, represented St Giles at the awards ceremony at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Thursday 29 October, where they had a fantastic night celebrating alongside nurses from across the UK. The category was won by Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Bradford and West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

To reach the final, Rebecca presented the tool in person to a panel of judges at the Nursing Times headquarters in London in September.

The RUN-PC Triage Tool gives the hospice’s Community Palliative Care Team a consistent way to prioritise referrals. It sets clear timeframes for when each patient should be seen, from immediately to within two weeks, so that people with the most urgent needs are seen quickly in their own homes.

The work has been led by Professor Cara Bailey, Professor of End of Life Care at Birmingham City University, with the St Giles community team. The tool has already been presented at the Hospice UK Conference and was selected for presentation at the European Association for Palliative Care conference in Prague.

Rebecca said: “It was a real privilege to represent St Giles and our community team on such a big stage. To be shortlisted alongside some of the largest NHS organisations in the country shows what a difference this work is making for patients and families at home. It was a fantastic night and I’m so proud of everyone who has been part of it.”

Leon Ratcliffe, Director of Clinical Services at St Giles Hospice, said: “More than 80% of our care is delivered in people’s own homes, and RUN-PC helps our nurses make sure every patient is seen at the right time. Being recognised at a national level is a huge credit to Rebecca, Charlotte, Cara and the whole community team.”