Beeline: Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Magazine, Spring 2016

WHAT WE DO
HSJ winners
We were absolutely thrilled to come out winners at the 2015
Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards, which were held in November
he HSJ Awards are the largest celebration of
T
excellence in UK healthcare, highlighting
the most innovative and successful people
and projects in the sector. The awards were created in
1981 to recognise, on a national platform, the projects
and initiatives that deliver healthcare excellence and
innovation. More than 600 organisations submitted over
1,600 entries in 2015.
Earlier in the year, the Charity was recognised for the
initiation, development and delivery of the unique Post
Graduate Education Programme for our paramedics.
Funded entirely by the Charity and run in partnership
with the University of Hertfordshire, the South Western
Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and senior
doctors and consultants from local hospitals, the
initiative saw us become a finalist in the ‘Improving
Outcomes through Learning and Development’ category.
Subsequently, all finalists completed presentations and
interviews during October to a judging panel made up of
senior and influential figures from the health sector. The
results were subsequently announced in November at the
awards ceremony.
The judging panel was impressed by how the Dorset
and Somerset Air Ambulance project was funded and
felt it was a great example of the collaboration between
stakeholders. The presentation had apparently used clear
evidence to demonstrate its impressive outcomes.
A delighted DSAA
team receive their
award from host
Clare Balding
After walking away with the top prize, Bill Sivewright,
the Charity’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have won this award.
Training and education form a cornerstone of the
Charity’s vision for the pursuit of clinical excellence. We
feel that the future benefit for our patients is best served
by investing directly in those charged with delivering the
clinical care.
“The unique element of this programme is the fact
that the education and training is delivered on-site at
the Charity’s airbase and not in the university classroom.
Through this mechanism we have now established a
group of highly enthusiastic paramedics and doctors who
help deliver the training at the airbase, on the helicopter
and within their own trusts.
“It is particularly satisfying that the judges recognised
our collaborative approach and the extensive stakeholder
involvement. This has helped foster regional clinical
relationships that we believe provides significant
patient benefit. We are most grateful to South Western
Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the
University of Hertfordshire for their commitment to the
creation of this unique programme. We must also thank
our supporters, without whom we would never have been
able to contemplate such an ambitious project.”
More information on the HSJ Awards visit:
https://awards.hsj.co.uk/winners-2015
16 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk