THE James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has signed up to a new initiative which means frontline staff - from nurses to surgeons to healthcare assistant- are being encouraged to look at one new way of working to ensure patient safety.

THE James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has signed up to a new initiative which means frontline staff - from nurses to surgeons to healthcare assistant- are being encouraged to look at one new way of working to ensure patient safety.

The work will be applied throughout the hospital in areas like medicine management and surgical safety.

Staff will be taking part in the voluntary initiative as part of the first national Patient Safety First Week, from 21-27 September.

The work will build on Patient Safety First guidance with view to introducing new safer working practices. The hospital aims to both learn from other NHS organisations, share its areas of best practices with others and benchmark performance.

Dr Bernard Brett, Medical Director at the hospital, said: “We already deliver a high standard of healthcare, but want to raise standards even further for the benefit of our patients and we are empowering frontline staff to propose new ways of working.”

“We are calling on our frontline staff to look at their working practices and think of one or more new ways to make a real difference to the safety of patients in their care. Each of you directly involved in delivering patient care in your own clinical area, are best placed to identify ways in which the service you help deliver can improve - we need your help.”

Cherrell Taylor, Patient Safety Officer at the hospital, said: “Patients put their trust in us when visit the hospital and they deserve to be treated and cared for appropriately and safely.”

The Trust is one of many NHS organisations across the country which has volunteered to take part in the initiative.