Junior doctors win Quality Improvement prizes

The inaugural Peninsula Quality Improvement Conference took place on Friday 16 May 2014, giving junior doctors the opportunity to showcase their quality improvement initiatives.

The conference had a competitive field of entrants from Trusts throughout the South West, with junior doctors from Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust scooping the top two prizes.

Will Smith and Emma Francis (Foundation Year 1) were awarded first prize for their project to standardise the stocking of equipment for intravenous cannulation, while Suzy Connor (Specialist Trainee Year 4 in Emergency Medicine) was awarded second prize for her improvements to the stocking and labelling of paediatric blood bottles in the resuscitation bays.

Other notable entries from the Trust were:

• Maria Popescu (Core Trainee Year 1 in surgery) on reducing theatre delays by using point-of-care testing on the Surgical Admissions Unit, in place of traditional laboratory-based INR tests.
• Sahil Chhabda, Joseph Campbell and Mark Edmond (Foundation Year 1) on demonstrating improvements in completion of Treatment Escalation Plan forms on the Care of the Elderly wards.
• Catherine Bell, Joseph Clarke, Kyle Flegg, Lauren Robbins and Kerri Tucker on illustrating improvements in the standard of medical note-keeping.

Dr David Adams, Consultant Anaesthetist said: “It was extremely gratifying that their hard work was acknowledged. A number of posters were displayed, but only three projects were chosen for oral presentation. It was great to see that doctors from the Trust took both first and second prize.”

“Thanks must also go to Frances Hannon from Service Improvement, Dr Matt Hill, Consultant Anaesthetist and Mr Richard Berrisford, Consultant Oesophago-Gastric Surgeon, for their hard work in supporting the junior doctor quality improvement initiatives.”