London Ambulance Service shortlisted for top HSJ awards
London Ambulance Service has once again been shortlisted for prestigious national awards recognising an outstanding contribution to healthcare.
LAS has made it through to the final stage for this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) awards in two categories – Trust of the Year and the Staff Wellbeing Award – despite more than 1,350 entries. It is also a partner in two projects which have been shortlisted in the ‘Primary and Community Care Innovation of the Year’ and the ‘Provider Collaboration of the Year’ category.
LAS was also shortlisted last year for Trust of the Year after judges thought it met challenges, ‘unprecedented demands and pressures head on’ against a backdrop of industrial action.
Following a thorough judging process in recent weeks, LAS has been shortlisted again ahead of the official awards ceremony later this year (21st November), standing out as a real ‘success story’ worthy of a prized place on the panel’s shortlist.
In the Trust of the Year category, London Ambulance Service demonstrated record improvements in every aspect of the NHS Staff Survey and achieved the highest response rate in the ambulance sector in 2023/24. We significantly improved our 999 call answering and ambulance response times, while working collaboratively to implement more alternative healthcare pathways that reduce unnecessary conveyance to hospital.
For the Staff Wellbeing category, LAS submitted its pioneering ‘Teams Based Working’ model which has transformed the way our frontline staff work together, increasing team morale, and access to managers. It has resulted in a reduction of sickness, staff turnover and vastly improved Staff Survey results – taking us from the bottom of the league table to near the top for ambulance trusts.
Meanwhile, Wide Way Medical Centre in Merton borough has been shortlisted for the Primary and Community Care Innovation of the Year for its ‘GP Support Service’ model. This project – delivered in partnership with London Ambulance Service – sees us working with the practice to answer calls from patients and safely navigate them to the right care outcome.
We have also been shortlisted with King George Hospital in the Provider Collaboration of the Year category for the Rapid Offload Model, which has reduced delays handing over patients at the hospital’s emergency department.
LAS Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said:
“I’m delighted we are continuing to build on our successes and make LAS an even better place to work for our staff, and an organisation that is committed to improving the standard of care we offer to our patients.
“Last year we relentlessly focussed on improving our culture, expanding our workforce, and working with partners to find innovative solutions to reduce demand on hospitals in the capital.
“I’m thrilled this work by our dedicated staff and volunteers is once again being recognised by the judges at the HSJ.”
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, added:
“It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge London Ambulance Service for being shortlisted in the categories of Trust of the Year and Staff Wellbeing.
“However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.
“We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector.”
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on 21st November 2024.
The 2024 awards judging panel was once again made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England, Rosa Waddingham, Chief Nurse, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB and Matthew Style, Director General, Secondary Care and Integration Department of Health & Social Care, as well as a range of esteemed Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.
The full list of nominees for the 2024 HSJ awards can be found at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/ alongside details of the Awards partners at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/partners.
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