The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) have become the second hospital in the country to be formally accredited for quality improvement work.

Staff at the Harlow-based hospital have been recognised for hosting several improvement projects shared via The Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff.

A plaque at the main entrance, commemorating the accreditation, was unveiled by visited the hospital to unveil independent health policy analyst and broadcaster Roy Lilley and Dr Terri Porrett PhD, MSc, RN on Monday, January 13.

PAHT improvement partners who have successfully completed the Leading Change and Leading Projects training sessions, followed by a quality improvement project, also attended.

Lance McCarthy, chief executive of The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: “It was wonderful to welcome Roy Lilley and Dr Terri Porrett to our hospital for this fantastic occasion.

“We are delighted to have been acknowledged for our dedication to improving our services and our achievements for our patients, people, performance, places and pounds.”

The Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff, set up by Mr Lilley in 2015, is a social movement for sharing health and social care ideas, services and solutions.

Principles of the Academy encourage staff to own changes and improvements to benefit their working lives and the care delivered to patients.

For two consecutive years, PAHT won Champion Organisation at the annual Academy of Fab Stuff national awards.

The hospital follows the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), who received the accreditation in October 2019.

Projects at PAHT have included implementing a procalcitonin (PCT) test in the Emergency Department in 2019 to identify early indications of sepsis and how to use antibiotics.

Procalcitonin in the blood can increase significantly in systemic bacterial infections and sepsis.

The test supports the recognition and treatment of sepsis and optimal use of antibiotics for our patients.

Other projects include introducing a virtual reality tour of the day stay theatres for young patients via the Little Journey app.

In addition, a library in a box project was also launched, providing reading material to people who may not regularly visit the library.

Jim McLeish, director of quality improvement at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: “It is testament to the energy and effort of our teams across the hospital that our work to continually improve the quality of our services has been recognised nationally.

“We have carried out hundreds of quality improvement projects in recent years, all of which have contributed to providing the right care for our patients in the right place, at the right time.”