London Ambulance Service shortlisted for top HSJ awards

London Ambulance Service has been shortlisted for prestigious national awards celebrating people and teams who have improved patient safety.

Following a thorough judging process, we are through to the final stage for this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety awards in three categories recognising initiatives which improve patient care.

A piece of work to identify which 999 callers with breathing difficulties are the most seriously ill is shortlisted in two categories: ‘Deteriorating patients and rapid response initiative’ and ‘Urgency and Emergency Care safety initiative of the year’.

Separately, a project to improve care for frail patients in nursing and care homes run in partnership with Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London Ambulance Service, West London NHS Trust, Borough Based Partnerships, and Hounslow Primary Care Network is up for ‘Improving care for older people initiative of the year’.

There were more than 450 submissions to the wide range of awards of which 216 were shortlisted by an expert panel against criteria including innovation, impact and sustainability, and those named on the shortlist will progress to final judging later this summer.

LAS Chief Medical Officer Dr Fenella Wrigley said:

“We are continuing to build on our successes and innovate to improve the standard and safety of care we offer to our patients.

“These initiatives help ensure people get the tailored care they need as well as reduce pressure on our NHS partners.

“I am delighted the work of our dedicated staff and volunteers is once again being recognised by the judges at the HSJ.”

The projects up for the awards are:

Recognising ineffective breathing during 999 calls: Breathing problems are a common reason for calling 999 but the cause and severity can vary greatly. Identifying the most seriously ill patients can be very challenging in telephone triage. LAS investigated themes in cases where ineffective breathing was not initially identified to develop training for emergency call handlers to use ‘cues’ to build up a picture of what was happening. The number of patient safety incidents was reduced by 29% among those who had completed the additional training.

Pre-Hospital Ambulance Support Team: This pilot service involving LAS, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Hounslow Primary Care network, West London NHS Trust, Borough Based Partnerships and West Middlesex University Hospital aimed to reduce hospital admissions from patients in nursing homes and care homes which can potentially increase their mortality risk. A review of the pilot showed 73% of calls could safely avoid conveyance to a hospital and be treated at the nursing or care home itself. There are also potential savings to the NHS as every day a patient spends in hospital can costs around £800.

Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on 15 September 2025 at Manchester Central.