Programme Case Studies

Huddle Up for Safer Healthcare: Impacts to Date

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A 3 year funded project (including a 6 month set up period), to enable the implementation of Patient Safety Huddles in 5 acute hospitals across Leeds, Barnsley and Scarborough.

Impact Aims

To improve patient safety, team working and safety culture of frontline teams across inpatient hospitals in Yorkshire, using daily Patient Safety Huddles, in a non-judgemental, no-fear space to deliver real improvements in safety focussing on chosen harm(s) identified at ward level by the ward teams.

Measurable Impacts to date

The project started in August 2015 and so far:

  • Safety huddles embedded*in 44 out of 81 (54%) wards to date (Aug 2015- Mar 216) 
  • 14 wards have achieved a significant reduction in the harm they are focussing on (according to SPC rules): For example a reduction of falls has ranged from 17% to 60%
  • Safety huddles in Yorkshire and Humber have now spread naturally to 28 teams across 11 organisations
  • Working with other sites involved in other projects, assisting in the scale up of safety huddles (see the Safety Measurement Framework)

(* embedded: achievement of 15 consecutive safety huddles within 21 days i.e. Mon-Fri)

Activities include

  • Coaching and supporting wards and their teams in implementing patient safety huddles
  • Supporting the measurement of improvement in patient safety huddles through Statistical Process Control and ward days between charts
  • Creating and providing support material to help teams remember interventions to prevent Falls, Pressure Ulcers and 2222 calls plus bespoke harms
  • Ensuring that success is celebrated through certificates for reaching milestones, publicity via Twitter, internal newsletters and Facebook 

Further Information

More information about Safety Huddles, click here

To see one of our case studies written by Sean Ninan (HUSH coach), click here

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