Hospital in line for healthcare and safety awards (From Wharfedale Observer)

Hospital in line for healthcare and safety awards

10:20am Saturday 21st April 2012 in News By Newsdesk

Airedale Hospital has been shortlisted for two top awards by a company specialising in improving healthcare services.

Airedale has been put forward by independent organisation CHKS Ltd, as part of an initiative called Top Hospitals programme. The scheme shares examples of successful healthcare provision to enable different NHS trusts to learn from each other.

One of the two awards is for providing good-quality, appropriate care to patients. Airedale was assessed using criteria such as the length of time patients stay in the hospital and its rate of emergency re-admissions.

It has also been shortlisted for an award for patient safety. This recognises outstanding performance in providing a safe environment for patients and is based on criteria such as rates of hospital-acquired infections.

A spokesman for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust explained: “The awards are made on the basis of publicly available data, and every NHS acute trust is included in the analysis.

“Four other organisations have been shortlisted for both the awards and the winners will be announced in a ceremony on May 1 held in London.”

Bridget Fletcher, chief executive of the foundation trust, said: “Patient safety and providing high quality of care are both of paramount importance to us, so we’re delighted to be shortlisted for these particular awards.

“We could not have achieved this recognition without the hard work of our staff who are committed to providing the best care possible for patients.”

Jason Harries, managing director at CHKS, said: “Patients rely on their local hospital to provide high-quality and appropriate treatment when they need it.

“Our quality of care award highlights those trusts that are achieving exceptional standards.”