The Care Group-run North East London (NEL) Training Hub won two prestigious awards this week.
The team won Patient Safety Team of the Year and Primary Care Initiative of the Year at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Awards. The glitzy ceremony took place in Manchester on Monday 15 September with over 1,000 people in attendance.
The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are among the most prestigious honours in the healthcare sector, celebrating outstanding innovation, collaboration, and impact in improving patient safety. This year saw 456 entries, with 216 projects shortlisted, and only 25 winners chosen by an expert judging panel — making these awards especially significant.
The awards were for the work of the NEL Training Hub in collaboration with Community Matters and Star Lane Medical Centre in Canning Town. The team, led by Dr Liuhao Wu, embedded a range of quality improvement projects into everyday practice.
Previously, fragmented projects led by various staff members resulted in duplications, increased costs, and a lack of accountability. Issues were often identified, but not effectively addressed, leading to recurring problems such as delayed cancer referral.
From the outset, the team had the autonomy and resources to work independently and innovatively. They embraced failure as a valuable learning opportunity, encouraging the team to improve care through reflecting on failures. This encouraged the team to set ambitious goals and undertake complex projects, including a multi-year prostate cancer screening initiative.
Ekramul Hoque, Assistant Director for Workforce Transformation, Health Inequalities and Inclusion at the Care Group, said: “I’m delighted that the NEL Training Hub and project team has won this award for their innovative work in improving patient safety. This work demonstrates the benefits of a collaborative approach to training and development which we hope can be replicated across the wider North East London healthcare system. Congratulations to everyone involved for their commitment to patient safety and continuous improvement.”
