Wessex AHSN wins prestigious HSJ Value in Healthcare Award

Wessex AHSN’s MISSION Severe Asthma project has won the Value and Improvement in the Use of Diagnostics category at the 2015 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value in Healthcare Awards, held on 22 September at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Last night at the Grosvenor House, London the 2015 HSJ Value in Healthcare Award winners were announced.

The awards had a record breaking year for entries with more organisations than ever before demonstrating that they are striving to improve value and efficiency in healthcare. From 532 entries, 140 organisations were shortlisted and 21 organisations have been judged to be leading the way in this increasingly important area and crowned the winners last night.

The winning organisations were judged by a judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector. These include:

• Charles Alessi, Chairman, National Association of Primary Care

• Professor Jonathan Kay, Clinical Informatics Director, NHS England

• Michael MacDonnell, Head of Strategy, NHS England

• Robert Knott, National Director NHS Procurement, Department of Health.

Wessex AHSN won in recognition of its MISSION Severe Asthma project, which uses a ‘carousel clinic’ model of assessment and care to improve diagnosis and treatment of uncontrolled asthma. It recognises the benefits to be made in supporting self-care and enabling patients to manage their own condition. At the beginning of the sessions 64 per cent of people who responded to a patient survey said that they felt confident or very confident in managing their asthma; at the end of the sessions this increased to 93 per cent.  Data from three participating surgeries also show a 24 per cent reduction in oral steroid courses and a 25 per cent reduction in non-routine GP appointments. 

Following a consultation from MISSION one patient said, “I actually feel I am now in complete control of my condition; it no longer worries me.”

The judges said: “Our winner has a fantastic multidisciplinary team approach. The impact is excellent, well evaluated and it works with high risk patients, which in the longer term will reduce death rates.”

Rachel Dominey, Programme Manager for Wessex AHSN’s Respiratory Quality Improvement Programme commented, “This is a well-deserved result for our MISSION Asthma team, who’ve significantly improved the respiratory health of patients with undiagnosed severe asthma. With the ongoing support of Wessex AHSN we’re now spreading this innovative model across a wider geography and also applying it to a number of other clinical specialties.”

The awards were a great evening of recognition and celebration for all the organisations making steps to greatly improve efficiency and value, in both back office functions and clinical initiatives in healthcare. Thank you to all of our sponsors, supporters and entrants for an inspirational evening.

For more information on the HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards go to http://www.hsjvalueawards.co.uk 

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About the MISSION Severe Asthma Project

Launched by Wessex AHSN, MISSION (Modern Innovative SolutionS to Improve Outcomes in Severe Asthma) is a quality improvement, patient safety and innovation project htat aims to reduce the length of time before uncontrolled asthma is recognised and treated, thus improving patient experience and reducing costs. 

MISSION is comprised of two clinics, one rapid access asthma clinic (RAAC) and one severe asthma assessment clinic (SAAC). RAAC is a “carousel station” style patient assessment site where comprehensive asthma reviews are undertaken. At the end of each assessment patients receive an individual self-management plan peak flow diary and interactive presentation.

From the first round of RAAC assessments, 22 patients were identified and sent to SAAC held at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. At the SAAC clinic patients underwent a medical review, physiotherapy and lung function tests, all performed by a multidisciplinary team.

About Wessex AHSN

Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) have the potential to transform health and care by putting innovation at the heart of the NHS, improving patient outcomes and contributing to economic growth.  Wessex AHSN is one of 15 networks across England established to pull together the adoption and spread of innovation with clinical research and trials, informatics, education, and healthcare delivery. To find out more about the work of Wessex AHSN, visit www.wessexahsn.org and follow us on Twitter @WessexAHSN.

For further information about the AHSN’s Respiratory Quality Improvement Programme, please contact Rachel Dominey, Senior Project Manager for Wessex AHSN, on 07990 002107 or by email at rachel.dominey@wessexahsn.net. 

About HSJ

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