The Frailty team at Frimley Health has been shortlisted in the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards for its Hospital@home service which provides care in patients’ own homes, helping them to avoid admission to hospital.

The Frimley Health team was nominated for the Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award category by local MPs Leo Docherty, Ranil Jayawardena and James Sunderland, for its Urgent Community Response Service and Virtual Ward Service.  

The multi-skilled Frailty team includes consultant geriatricians, advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs), admin support and therapists who offer a similar level of care as a hospital ward in the patient’s home. The service includes the ability to carry out blood tests, give IV medication, take an ECG reading or give a nebuliser or oxygen alongside therapy assessments and providing equipment to help patients’ mobility.

Dr Lucy Abbott, chief of service for older people’s medicine, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for an NHS Parliamentary Award which recognises both the collaborative effort of our Frailty Virtual Wards team and the benefit it brings to patients being cared for in the community.

“A recent Frimley Health Hospital@home survey demonstrates the value of the service with 100% of patients saying they would recommend the service and would rather be treated at home than admitted to hospital for future episodes of care.”

The NHS Parliamentary Awards, launched ahead of the NHS’s milestone 75th birthday in July, recognises outstanding individuals or teams who have made the biggest improvements to health services in their constituencies across 10 categories.

The Trust was also runner up in The Volunteer Award category, with long-time volunteer Maureen Dance nominated by MP James Sunderland.

Ahead of this year’s fifth annual ceremony, a record number of 750 nominations were made from over half of all MPs representing English constituencies. Panels of senior regional NHS representatives then selected regional champions for their dedication to the health service and to the people they care for in their communities.

Judging panel member and NHS England Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May said: “These awards pay tribute to the enormous talent, hard work and commitment of the incredible people who make up the NHS. I’m very proud to be a part of them and as we celebrate 75 years of our NHS in July, it is a perfect time to recognise our staff.”

The winners of the NHS Parliamentary Awards will be announced on the organisation’s 75th birthday - Wednesday 5 July