Judges’ view

Quite a simple but hugely effective innovation in response to COVID-19. Clear benefits for staff, operational delivery and impact on services to patients. Scaleability and portability to non-COVID environments abundantly clear – huge potential.

COLIN is a bespoke interactive booking system and vaccination recording app based on the data set requirements set out by the National Immunisation System. This allowed them to book both appointments for staff in speedy time and safely record administration details as well as feed the required databack up into the NIVS which in turn informed local GP IT systems.

This gave control over clinic lists, data extract reports and allowed them to provide valuable, real time data on vaccination numbers that could also be broken down into care groups/ location/ethnicity and more. This gave service users control when booking their 1st dose and 2nd doses, reducing the need for administrative support.

Key points:

• Learnt early that functions/tasks needed to be shared and not left with individuals
• Electronic daily reserve lists created to enable front line staff to receive vaccinations earlier, helped reduce wasted doses
• Control of own real time data meant knowledge of where staff were based, what percentage had been vaccinated by each care group
• COLIN to be used for future projects e.g. Influenza vaccination campaign and COVID booster doses.

The Perfect Storm in Ophthalmic Services is having a major impact on services, added to the aftermath of COVID-19, creating even-longer waiting times in an acute sector that cannot meet demand. This five year optometrist/nurse training/orthoptist development plan will deliver “shared care”, addressing the acute sector shortfall. This has enabled optometrists, orthoptists and nurses to undertake higher level training in Glaucoma, Medical Retina and Independent Prescribing.

Judges’ view

Powerful example of workforce transformation with direct evidence of positive impact on patient outcomes. Effective use of skills and expertise across primary and community settings. Impressed by their passion, belief and the real sense of ‘not giving up’ – determination ot make things better.

The Collaborative Bank Partnership aims to resolve staff resourcing issues by utilising cloud based technology to share bank staff in Wales across organisational boundaries to fill gaps on rosters, provide weekly pay to workers and provide a fully automated recharge solution back to NHS Wales organisations. It has delivered approximately 800 shifts with a rechargeable value of approx. £170k, representing a potential saving of over £85k when compared to the equivalent number of shifts by agency nurses.

Judges’ view

Good example of collaborative working across boundaries to maximise efficiencies and organisational approaches to the attraction and deployment of bank workers. Lots of potential for scaling up to other specialities and across Wales, possibly wider.