Four Cardiff and Vale UHB projects recognised in NHS Wales Awards 2024

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is celebrating after winning at the NHS Wales Awards 2024, having been shortlisted in four categories. The awards were announced at a ceremony on Thursday 24 October. 

The Supportive Care Team

Award Winner

Cardiff and Vale UHB's Supportive Care team were delighted to receive the Sir Mansel Aylward Person-Centred Care Award 2024 for their work in putting patients at the centre of decisions, services, and their own care.

This innovative service has broadened access to end-of-life care for patients with kidney, liver, and interstial lung disease, redressing barriers to palliative care for those without a cancer diagnosis.   

Clea Atkinson, Lead Consultant in Palliative and Supportive Care said: ‘I’m so delighted that we are winners in the 2024 NHS Wales Awards.

"Supportive Care are a very special team who so deserve to be recognised for their determined efforts to support patients to cope with life-limiting non-cancer diagnoses; working tirelessly to deliver compassionate and person-centred care to every patient under our service.'

Over an 18-month period, 205 patients were referred to the service. During the last year of life, these patients spent 1,211 fewer days in hospital despite their condition progressing, compared to a control group. 100% of those surveyed said the service was delivered with compassion and they would recommend it.
 

The Dragonfly Project 

Finalist

As a finalist in the NHS Wales Efficient Care Award 2024, the Dragonfly Project was recognised for having demonstrated its efficient and effective use of resources to provide value for both the service and patients.

The Dragonfly Project is a new 4-bed area in Owl Ward, the surgical ward within Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales. These beds provide high level post-operative care for young people who have undergone complex spinal surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). 

This new facility alleviates pressure on the Paediatric High Dependency Unit, and has dramatically reduced surgical cancellations of AIS operations from 40% in 2022 to none.

Professor Sashin Ahuja, Consultant Spine Surgeon said: “We were humbled and honoured to be shortlisted for the NHS Wales Award which is a recognition of our collaborative and multi-disciplinary team for providing high quality, timely and long-term sustainable care for children with scoliosis.”

The SWAN Clinic

Finalist

The SWAN (Syndrome Without A Name) Clinic was a finalist in the NHS Wales Team Culture Award, celebrating their commitment to providing safe, high-quality care by fostering a culture of teamwork.

The SWAN Clinic, based in the outpatient departments at both University Hospital of Wales and Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales, is the first of its kind in the UK, offering hope to children and adults with syndromes so rare they don’t have a name.  

The SWAN Clinic was established as a two-year pilot with Welsh Government funding and is seeking to shorten the time patients wait for a diagnosis, improve medical knowledge and foster research.

Dr Graham Shortland, Lead Consultant for the SWAN Clinic said: "It is a real privilege for the SWAN Clinic to be shortlisted for the Team Culture category. This recognizes a truly multi-disciplinary approach from all members of the team in setting up this novel clinic, to try and diagnose patients with a suspected rare disease. We also consider the many different partners we have worked with, including patient groups, as part of our team and recognize them fully in being shortlisted for the award."

QuickChange Interactive Exercise Animation 

Finalist

The QuickChange project was shortlisted for the NHS Wales Whole Systems Approach Award, for working beyond organisational and sector boundaries to achieve results that meet changing service needs, wellbeing goals, and the requirements of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

QuickChange, which was developed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s Podiatry Team alongside the Local Public Health Team, aims to engage four to six-year-olds in daily physical activity to aid healthy development of their foot and ankle muscles.  

Led by a range of colourful cartoon characters, the fun interactive animation gets children performing a series of strengthening and stretching exercises. Five bilingual primary schools in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan agreed to take part in a pilot where Reception and Year 1 pupils would perform the routine every day over the course of a week.

Martha-Jane Powell, Senior Public Health Practitioner said: “We are extremely humbled and proud for our collaborative animation, QuickChange, to have been shortlisted for the NHS Wales Whole Systems Approach Award. I hope that it demonstrates that anything is possible when there is passion and enthusiasm behind wanting to change the norm around what the NHS typically does – we need to encourage more innovative, preventative approaches and think about things holistically in order to improve the health of future generations.”

Professional Podiatry Lead Stephen Coombs said: “The QuickChange team profile has been raised again with this nomination and has made us more determined  to promote the benefits of daily fun filled exercises within the school classroom environment to help our Future Generations.
 
“Prevention for the long term and early intervention are crucial, reducing health inequalities, collaboration, involvement, sustainability and integration is the aim – QuickChange is a first step in the change to preventative practice. This nomination inspires us to do more of this vital work.”

Judith Paget Director General for Health, Social Care and Early Years and the NHS Wales Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to the winners but also to everyone who has been shortlisted for an award today. The NHS Wales Awards are one of the highlights of my year. I take great pride in seeing the breadth of quality improvement projects underway across NHS Wales to transform our services for those that we care for. I hope that you are all deservedly proud of your achievements in these challenging times.”

The NHS Wales Awards showcase examples of incredible quality and safety improvement work transforming the experience and outcomes for people in Wales.