Partnership Award

Shona Duffy and Amanda Page

Homeless healthcare

Homeless Specialist Nurse Shona and Amanda, Hospital In-Reach Worker for the P3 charity have worked together to produce incredible work for the Trust. More importantly, they support some of the most vulnerable people in the Gloucestershire area and work tirelessly to impact these people’s lives

Shona and Mandy are always supportive with staff and education around these patients, many of whom feel let down and judged by healthcare services. Staff working in the Emergency Department have experienced a cultural shift after being taught about the tri-morbidity of homelessness (which means a homeless person is more likely to suffer from mental ill health, physical ill health, and substance misuse and at the same time is less likely to access services).

This is a great example of how working across organisational boundaries has made a tangible difference to a highly vulnerable group. One colleague commented, "I’ve witnessed first hand the impact their work can have and it is fantastic."

Paediatric team and Young Gloucestershire Youth Workers

Paediatrics

This project was designed to improve the experience of young people who are admitted to the Children's inpatient unit with mental health issues. Since January 2024, the ICB-commissioned project in partnership with Young Gloucestershire has made fundamental improvements to the experience of these young patients, as well as the experience of staff who work on the unit.

When young people aged 11 upwards are admitted to the unit for their safety, it can seem like a frightening new world and the youth workers can be a lifeline to them in many ways. For colleagues on the unit, 2023 was characterised by numerous and frequent Violence and Aggression (V&A) calls with the consequent stress on everyone involved.

One parent commented, "The Youth Workers' presence and time given on the ward has been invaluable to my daughter during her long admission recently where they brought positivity, encouragement and support in a non-judgemental way." The Youth Workers have the time to form relationships with these young people and the staff on the unit have embraced this additional support, making them feel like they are part of the wider team.

Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) project team

Quayside

The new Community Diagnostic Centre in Gloucester, which opened in February 2024, offers more than 80,000 extra diagnostic appointments each year, allowing patients across Gloucestershire to access potentially lifesaving checks more quickly, without having to go to hospital.

Bringing the project to fruition involved a number of Integrated Care System (ICS) and external partners working together, including Gloucestershire Hospitals, NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, Gloucestershire Managed Services, Gloucestershire County Council and Kier Construction.

An Implementation Programme Board with representation from ICS partners was established to enable, oversee and monitor the delivery and operationalisation of the centre. The programme also worked with a range of services supporting conditions such as complex breathlessness, liver disease, and lung disease to look at opportunities to streamline appointments for patients to achieve faster diagnosis and treatment.

This coordinated approach will help patients to avoid having multiple appointments, which is reducing waiting times for diagnosis.