A TAMESIDE NHS project using artificial intelligence to help identify patients at risk of needing emergency care has won a prestigious national patient safety award.
The Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust project, titled High Risk Attender MDT – Harnessing the Power of AI to Proactively Safeguard Against Avoidable ED Attendance, was named the winner of the Urgent and Emergency Care Patient Safety Initiative of the Year category at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Awards.
The award was presented at the HSJ National Patient Safety Congress in Telford, recognising the work of teams using innovative approaches to improve patient safety and care.
Using AI to identify patients who are at high risk of returning to Tameside Hospital’s emergency department within the following month, the project sees routine clinical and demographic information analysed.
Real-time risk scores, which can help clinical teams identify patients who may need additional support, are then generated – allowing teams to intervene earlier, assess patients’ needs and, where appropriate, provide targeted support through community care.
The project has been developed collaboratively by clinical and digital teams within the NHS trust, with the aim of strengthening preventative care and supporting evidence-based decisions.
Rather than waiting for patients to require emergency treatment, the approach is designed to help teams identify potential problems earlier and provide appropriate support before a crisis develops.
The project is still in the early stages of deployment, but the trust says it is already showing potential to improve patient outcomes and make the wider health and care system more efficient.
It is also helping teams identify potential issues across the wider health and care system, providing insight into where additional support may be needed.
The HSJ judges described the project as an “outstanding innovation in urgent and emergency care” when presenting the award.
Karen James OBE, chief executive of Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said the project demonstrated how new technology could be used to improve patient care.
“This is a truly innovative project, using the latest technology to have a real positive impact in supporting those patients who are at most risk of emergency care,” she said.
“Receiving this HSJ Patient Safety Award is a much deserved recognition of our teams’ ambition, creativity and commitment in keeping patients safe, and we are very proud of their achievement.”