A Manchester health trust is celebrating after being nominated for an award dubbed the ‘Oscar’ of nursing thanks to its ‘revolutionary’ alcohol detox project.
Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a Nursing Times award in the HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care category.
The Rapid Access to Detoxification Acute Referral (RADAR) is based at the Trust’s Chapman-Barker Unit in Prestwich, the only one in the country to accept direct referrals from emergency departments across the North West.
Gill Green, Director of Nursing and Operations for GMW said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of staff at the RADAR ward.
“The success of this project is so visible – both in terms to the individual who can finally see hope after struggling for so long and for local hospitals who have to deal with the challenges of alcohol-related admissions day after day.
“I am so proud and pleased that RADAR is getting the recognition it deserves.”
The programme uses a specialist pathway for people who frequently visit emergency departments with alcohol-related illness or injuries, allowing them to be referred directly to the specialised unit.
This means that the patient receives care when at the ‘treatable’ moment, care which can involve a medically-managed five to seven-day detoxification followed by aftercare and support.
This immediate treatment coupled with aftercare has led to 95% of people leaving the unit fully detoxed and 60% remaining abstinent or drinking in a controlled way three months after admission.
In addition, the 75% of people treated using the RADAR ward do not go onto attend hospital later, freeing up beds, and this may save the NHS money in the long run.
An evaluation from John Moores University has shown that RADAR will save the NHS £1.3million over a 12-month period.
The benefit for patients was also visible in the University’s research, with one patient interviewed by researchers saying: “I have enjoyed an excellent experience on the unit.
“The medical care has been better than I have experienced anywhere else and the culture amongst staff is one of care and compassion.
“I have been given every opportunity to plan my recovery and now it is up to me. I am extremely grateful.”
One patient described the service as a ‘credit to the NHS’ which helped change his life, while another said: “I have been treated with dignity and respect and upmost – as a human being. Not as a waste of space.”
Dubbed the ‘Oscars of the nursing profession’, the Nursing Times awards celebrate the best in professional practice across all aspects of healthcare.
RADAR’s nomination is only one of 124 to be shortlisted out of 823 entries and the awards ceremony will take place at Grosvenor House, London on November 12.
Image courtesy of Sebastian Surendar via FlickR, with thanks.