The Enhanced Care at Home Team
were finalists in their category
in the 2018
Chairman's Recognition Awards.
Rapid Response Nursing Co-ordinator Tracey
Steenson wins RCN Chief Nursing Officer's
Award 2018.
Enhanced Care at home/Rapid Response
Nursing Service
Tracey's nomination and award exemplifies how
nurses are taking the lead in delivering health
service transformation in Northern Ireland,
avoiding unnecessary hospital admission,
bringing the service closer to the patient and,
most importantly, promoting improved outcomes
for patients.
The Iron Deficiency Anaemia Clinic established by the South Eastern Health and Social Care
Trust Rapid Response Nursing Service provides a new care pathway where patients are treated
in community clinics closer to home, therefore avoiding repetitive blood transfusions which can
take up to five hours each.
Following discussions with medical, nursing and pharmacist colleagues, the service was piloted
in the Down locality clinic.
Suitable patients now receive intravenous iron infusions rather than blood transfusions, an
overall reduction in treatment time from 980 hours to 49 (in relation to 64 patients treated,
98 iron infusions instead of blood transfusions).
This has reduced the need for Emergency Department and Outpatient attendance as well as
hospital admission and created additional team capacity to treat more patients.
The risk to patients is reduced, iron levels are more stable under the new care pathway,
valuable blood resources can be targeted where they are urgently required and significant
financial savings have been made.
The judging panel recognised the innovative and patient-centred approach by the team and
were impressed with the ways in which Tracey demonstrated how early intervention and a
proactive approach to meeting patient needs can produce improved outcomes and a more
effective service.
Primary Care and Older People
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