Cerebral Palsy prevention collaboration shortlisted for HSJ Patient Safety Awards

We are proud to announce that Imperial College Health Partners’ collaboration with North West London maternity services to prevent Cerebral Palsy in preterm babies has been shortlisted for two prestigious HSJ Patient Safety Awards.

The PReCePT programme focuses on introducing a simple £1 injection, which can significantly reduce the risk of Cerebral Palsy (CP) in preterm babies.

ICHP launched the programme in North West London in October 2018, working in collaboration with maternity services at six hospital sites; Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea, Chelsea and Westminster, West Middlesex, Northwick Park, Hillingdon and St Mary’s.

This collaboration has now been shortlisted for two HSJ Patient Safety Awards, in the categories of Best Partnership Solution Improving Patient Safety and Maternity and Midwifery Services Initiative of the Year.

Before the programme was launched in North West London, only 60% of eligible mothers were receiving the intervention, this figure is now being sustained at over 90%.

In just over a year, 113 additional women in preterm labour were treated with magnesium sulphate, resulting in at least three cases of CP prevented, and an estimated £2.4M saved across the NHS and unquantifiable costs to the individual and their family.

Innovation Delivery Lead Shakti Dookeran at ICHP said: “The North West London PReCePT team are absolutely thrilled with the news of being shortlisted for two HSJ Patient Safety Awards, such a stellar recognition to receive.

“There are a host of enablers that have contributed to impactful delivery, a few that have been fundamental include the team’s ownership of the programme’s ambition, collaborative approach to improvement as a local learning system and enabling leadership to sustain good practice across their service.

“It has been an absolute joy being part of this brilliant partnership which has resulted in what matters the most – improving safety and outcomes for precious babies and their families.”

PReCePT Regional Clinical Lead Miss Mandish Dhanjal said: “I am delighted that North West London maternity units have been shortlisted for these two HSJ patient safety awards.

“Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do and the PReCePT project gave us the opportunity to work cohesively together as a wider team in partnership with Imperial College Health Partners to really make a difference to the lives of babies born prematurely in our units and their families.

“I am so proud of the work of our committed clinicians who educated all members of our maternity teams to deliver this effective simple treatment. The support provided by ICHP was invaluable and working with them has been amazing. “

You can read more about our work on PReCePT here.