Hywel Dda University Health Board wins FOUR NHS Wales Awards

26 October 2022

Hywel Dda University Health Board is celebrating after winning four awards at the 2022 NHS Wales Awards, including the special Outstanding Contribution award.

Together Hywel Dda UHB and Carmarthenshire County Council have introduced a multi-disciplinary team of different health and care professionals to provide intermediate care, which is care you need after hospital or to avoid admission to hospital.

The team takes a ‘home first’ approach to supporting people through a period of recovery and assessment as close to home as possible. In its first 12 weeks of operation, the team helped discharge 179 people home from hospital.

This successful joint working saw the team win the award for Delivering Person-Centred Services, and also the special award for Outstanding Contribution to Transforming Health and Care.

Glangwili Hospital pharmacy team received the award for Enriching the Wellbeing, Capability and Engagement of the Health and Care Workforce for a service improvement project which was based on insight from staff. The project reduced the number of missed doses of patient’s medication, improved work efficiency and improved staff satisfaction and well-being.

Meanwhile, the Providing Services in Partnership Across NHS Wales award was presented to a partnership project between the health board and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) to provide a same day emergency care pilot at Withybush Hospital.

The pilot, thought to be the first of its kind in Wales, provides a direct way for ambulance crews to take appropriate patients into the same day emergency care unit rather than the Emergency Department. It has significantly reduced handover delays, releasing WAST teams back to the community, reduced overcrowding in the Emergency Department, and potentially improving patient experience and outcomes.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan, said:

“It is fantastic to see the NHS Wales Awards are back for 2022. They are a source of great pride for all the NHS staff who dedicate their lives to the needs and care of others.

“The inspiring stories of dedication, duty and innovation in how we care for and improve the lives of others in such challenging times is an inspiration for us all and shines a light on the fantastic and dedicated staff we have working for the NHS in Wales.

“I am supremely proud to be the Minister with responsibility for the NHS in Wales and I congratulate all those who are nominated and win awards and thank you for your service and being positive role models for the NHS and the people of Wales.”

Chair of Hywel Dda UHB Maria Battle said: “We are so proud that the incredible efforts and dedication to patient care that our staff show every day, has been recognised at these national awards. It is excellent that two of our awards have been in recognition of the work we do with partners, and the other led from frontline staff empowered to make such a difference to both patients and staff.”

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services, Cllr. Jane Tremlett said: “I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of our teams have been recognised at this year’s NHS Awards.

“Through partnership work with Hywel Dda University Health Board, our health and social care professionals are fulfilling valuable work in providing short term rehabilitation of patients in their own home to help get them home from hospital more quickly and avoid unnecessary admissions to hospitals and care homes.”

The NHS Wales Awards are organised by Improvement Cymru (opens in new window) which is the national improvement service for NHS Wales delivered by Public Health Wales.

The awards returned this year following a two-year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were originally launched in 2008 to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the NHS and recognise and promote good practice across Wales.

This year’s awards were sponsored by Life Sciences Hub Wales, C-Stem and Armis, Core to Cloud, Health and Care Research Wales and RCN Wales.

Entries were received from a range of organisations, showing the high standard of innovative and diverse work that has transformed the experience and outcomes for people in Wales.

Outstanding Contribution to Transforming Health and Care