A patient care navigator has been praised for her work making patient discharges more efficient on her ward.
Theresa Prior, who works on Ward 27 at Scunthorpe General Hospital, received recognition from senior management and NHS England during the recent “Perfect Week” initiative.
She came up with a new model, which enables her to plan discharges as soon as patients come in. This has led to patients being able to leave hospital sooner and an increase in discharges across the ward.
Theresa said: “I designed something for this ward, which has all the information I need. I use documents and a ward board to be able to plan my day out. It has details about the patient such as their treatment, when they were admitted, the planned discharge and pathway, length of stay, and more.
“I have a good working relationship with the local care homes and I regularly communicate with them. This helps when planning discharges on the ward.
“We have meetings throughout the day, which help identify potential discharges. I also have all the internal contacts written down that I might need.
“I look at what support the patient needs outside of hospital, such as equipment and if they have anybody to look after them at home.”
Theresa came up with the model when she was working on Ward 29, and had similar success with discharges there.
She added: “This is a model which can be easily replicated across other areas.”
The national NHS team are now working with Theresa to see how her model of working can be replicated elsewhere. “Perfect Week”, which also took place at our hospitals in Hull and Grimsby, was aimed at getting patients the best possible experience. Targeted initiatives saw health care teams, including out-of-hospital services in local communities, working together more closely to deliver safe and effective care.