At a fiercely contested Department of Health Top Team Award Final event held at Keyll Darree, the community outpatient ‘Physiotherapy Self-Referral Scheme’ by the Noble’s Hospital’s Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Department, has been crowned as the Department’s Top Team. The team presented with professionalism and confidence explaining to the audience and independent panel of judges that the self-referral scheme has revolutionised physiotherapy care on the Island with a system where patients can choose to make an appointment directly with their local physiotherapy site.
In implementing the self-referral scheme, which is a community outpatient service, the Musculoskeletal Outpatient Physiotherapy Team has driven up performance without driving up costs, maintained a high quality service with high patient satisfaction and a proven positive impact on health and wellbeing in the community. Up until some 16 months ago access to the service was restricted, presenting difficulties in providing a quality service. By changing the way patients access physiotherapy from GP referred access to patient self-referral, the productivity of the department has increased by 76% with no waiting lists. Using the self-referral scheme, an appointment can be provided within three days of referral, at a location to suit the patient. Seeing patients this much sooner results in better response to treatment, fewer treatments being required and much fewer appointments being forgotten, thus increasing the number of appointments available within existing resources.
Stephanie Maddrell, Team Lead – Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Services,said:
'It was a privilege to attend the Top Team Award as one of the finalists and find out about the great services that other teams have been developing within our Health Service. It was really very motivating and we have already accepted an invitation to put ourselves forward and deliver our presentation at the next available Patient Safety Forum. I’m amazed at what the team has achieved and it just goes to show that we as professionals can have the freedom to rise to a challenge and initiate change. If you can find a better way of improving your service then do it. There’ll be full support and encouragement from management along the way. It’s fantastic that our hard work has been recognised and we were stunned when we were declared the Top Team 2013 winner!'
Minister for Health David Anderson, MHK said:
'Congratulations to all eight teams across the Department which entered and to our four finalists on demonstrating use of their initiative, a desire to improve services, embrace the challenge of change and ultimately deliver excellence in service to their customers. The presentations were exceptionally well delivered and the final was closely contested. I am proud to congratulate Noble’s Hospital’s Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Department, ‘Physiotherapy Self-Referral Scheme’ on being the winners of the Department’s Top Team 2013 Award.'
The Minister added:
'The Top Team Award demonstrates the quality and talent of the people who provide some of the most vital services on our Island, each and every day. Team work and customer service are two core elements in the successful and effective delivery of public services and we have seen these here in abundance today. The initiatives which these teams have showcased today have delivered a direct impact on our patients and highlight the excellent and ever evolving and advance care available to all on our Island. At all levels we have teams that strive, avoid complacency, always looking at what they can do to further our exacting standards of care and enhance the wellbeing of our community.'
The day consisted of four shortlisted teams who made a short 10 minute presentation to demonstrate to the judges why they and their projects should win the prestigious title of Top Team.
The other finalists for the Top Team Award were:
- Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, Gynaecology Ward and the Radiology Department at Noble’s Hospital, as a cost effective solution to provide a coherent and dedicated pathway of care for women experiencing problems in early pregnancy
- Department of Health Information Hub (iHub) by the Management Information and Technology Directorate, creating a collection and retrieval system based on nodes and hierarchy, bringing together information and data from across the Department in one central repository
- Renal Service Development by the Renal Service at Noble’s Hospital and Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital, delivering the developments in line with Department’s Renal Strategy, including the new Renal Dialysis Satellite Unit, raising the profile of kidney care on the Island and promoting closer working between secondary and primary care.
The esteemed independent panel of judges were: Steve Wicks, Managing Director of strategic and creative marketing agency Home Strategic; Paul Speller, freelance journalist and PR advisor, and Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive of Manx Cancer Help and member of the Council of Governors at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust.
Following the team’s presentations at the Final, the judging panel had the opportunity to question the teams on different aspects of their project followed by the extremely difficult task of deciding the winner.
David Killip, Department of Health Chief Executive and Master of Ceremonies encouraged the panel to feedback their thoughts and impressions of the Top Team Award: “hugely impressed”; “everyone has a deep passion for their work and the drive to convert that passion into results”; “a superb effort”; “quite simply jaw dropping”; “major changes reflecting major impact on patient care” and “committed to their patients”.
Closing the event, David Killip Chief Executive, said:
'Congratulations to the Department’s Top Team of 2013. A well-deserved accolade reflecting the hard work and dedication of the Physiotherapy team.'
