Pictured: Ward B20 staff proudly display their SPEC Award certificate
Three wards at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) have received a new award recognising the ‘outstanding’ care provided by nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors and support staff.
Wards B20 (Vascular), C5 (Dementia) and C8 at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital are the latest to be presented with a Safe Personal and Effective Care (SPEC) Silver Award from the Trust’s Director of Nursing, Christine Pearson.
“The SPEC Silver Award both rewards excellence in the care of our patients and supports wards to achieve high standards at all times,” said Christine Pearson.
“My congratulations to all three Wards on achieving such high standards of patient care. This is a testament to everyone’s hard work and unwavering commitment and we look forward to the day when every ward achieves the SPEC Silver Award.”
To earn the SPEC Silver Award, which is open to all East Lancashire Hospitals wards, each Ward needed to achieve a ‘good’ rating during three, separate unannounced inspections as part of the Nursing Assessment and Performance Framework (NAPF).
The NAPF framework is based on the Chief Inspector of Hospitals ‘5 Key Lines of Enquiry’, which asks the question: Is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
“NAPF inspections assist nurses to understand how they deliver care, identify what works well and where further improvements are required,” said Joanne Gardiner, ELHT Assistant Director of Nursing.
“The SPEC Silver Award is evidence that all patients on a Ward receive the right care, at the right time, in the right way for them.”
Ward B20 Manager, Sister Elaine Bell, said: “As a team we are delighted to receive this recognition which demonstrates our commitment to providing a high quality of care for our patients. It was achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach and acknowledges the hard work of every member of staff involved.”
To inform patients and visitors they are being treated on a ward that consistently offers high quality care, a plaque is now displayed at the entrance to all three wards and staff wear special ‘Silver Award’ badges.