An innovative IT-based project to ensure medicines are stored securely on wards and departments at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.
The Trust has been shortlisted in the HSJ and Nursing Times patient safety and care awards 2014 and is a finalist in the technology and IT to improve patient safety category.
State-of-the-art electromechanical locking system
The Trust has been leading the way in ensuring medicines are securely stored, and is one of the first NHS Trusts in the county to install a state-of-the-art electromechanical locking system. The medicines management team, which spearheaded the project, will find out next month they are winners at an awards ceremony being held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
Mike Urwin, Trust clinical director of pharmacy and medicines management, says: “This is fantastic news and will certainly help to showcase the ground-breaking innovative work being undertaken at this Trust around medicine management.”
“This year’s award received an impressive 600 entries, so we are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted as a finalist. It gives us a real opportunity to shout about our success and share best practice with other hospitals across the country.”
ABLOY CLIQ remote system
Karen Roe, lead nurse in medicine management, says: “We have rolled out to 20 wards across the Trust a new lock called the ABLOY CLIQ remote system. It has replaced the traditional bulky bunch of keys which was passed between members of staff wanting to access the drug cupboards or fridges.”
The new system sees staff allocated their own ‘unique key’ at the start of their shift. As it is electronic it creates a computer-generated trail detailing who the key is assigned to, which cupboard they opened and when and how long it was open for.
Karen said: “The system means people have a key as and when they need one without the need to start searching for the key holder. It not only reduces the time spent looking for the bunch of keys but it also means cupboards are not accidentally left unlocked and that only authorised people access them.”
Mike added: “The system promotes responsibility, releases nurses time to care as they are not searching for the bunch of keys and if a key is lost there is no need to replace all of the locks anymore as the key can simply be disabled. When the new locks are in place on every ward we estimate it will have the same effect as having an extra 24 nurses on duty Trustwide every day.”
