Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT), the organisation which provides physical and mental health, learning disability and adult social care services across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Shropshire, has been recognised in two categories at the major awards in the healthcare sector’s calendar.

Representatives from the Trust attended the HSJ Awards 2018 at the Intercontinental 02 in London last night (21 November). The awards are the largest and most prestigious healthcare awards in the world and celebrate, recognise and reward the outstanding contributions of staff and organisations to healthcare.

MPFT was delighted to be shortlisted in the Creating a Supportive Staff Culture category for its Freedom to Speak Up team, which works to encourage staff to ‘speak up’ and raise concerns over patient safety or unsafe practice.

Helené Donnelly and Kath Chambers are Freedom to Speak Up Guardians at MPFT and they lead the Trust’s work to create a supportive, listening culture for staff, including overseeing a team of staff members who volunteer as Culture Change Champions. The champions act as a first port of call for colleagues wishing to raise concerns or seek advice over matters such as unsafe patient care, working conditions or cultures of bullying and can signpost them to the most appropriate channels.

Meanwhile, a partnership involving MPFT, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and St Andrew's Healthcare was ‘highly commended’ at the awards in the Community or Primary Care Services Redesign - North/Midlands/East category.

The Reach Out (Reaching every service user from the West Midlands and creating hope, opportunities, understanding and trust) project involves a two year pilot within Adult Secure Care, implementing a new model of care. The programme aims to bring patients who are currently in secure care outside of the West Midlands closer to home, family and friends.