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Respiratory Clinic Saving Lives of Rough Sleepers wins National Health Award
A respiratory clinic for rough sleepers, led by a Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) Professor of Respiratory medicine, has won the Urgent and Emergency Care Safety Initiative of the Year at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Congress & Awards.
The Rough Sleeper Virtual Ward is a ground-breaking service, launched in August 2024, and provides hospital-standard respiratory care for people experiencing homelessness, right in the heart of Nottingham city centre. The clinic was set up to help prevent premature deaths of rough sleepers and to reduce pressure on hospital admissions.
The clinic represents a collaborative effort between NUH and multiple partner organisations, including Framework Charity, Nottingham CityCare Partnership and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable in our community.
Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Dominick Shaw, who has led the vision and the team for this service and attended the HSJ awards ceremony said: “This HSJ award reflects the hard work and dedication of all the multidisciplinary services trying to improve health care outcomes for rough sleepers across Nottingham.”
In its first year, the team has already supported over 70 patients, reducing hospital admissions and proving how compassion and innovation can change lives. With plans to expand across the East Midlands, the impact of this work is only just beginning.
Shashi Gupta, lead virtual ward pharmacist, attended the awards ceremony with the team and said: “The Rough Sleeper Virtual Ward has been such a fantastic initiative to help set up, and it’s been a great experience for our pharmacists to work in such an innovative way.
“Collaborating with the wider teams and seeing the real difference it’s making to people’s lives has been incredibly rewarding. Winning the HSJ Award has truly been the icing on the cake!”
With the Government’s new 10-year NHS healthcare plan, the HSJ awards take on even greater significance, reflecting the critical work being done to address the complexities of delivering safe care amidst times of significant change and long-standing pressures.
These awards continue to inspire progress, drive collaboration, and set the benchmark for best practices in patient safety, ensuring that the care of patients and their families remain at the forefront of healthcare system priorities.
