Two of our teams have been shortlisted for this year’s Nursing Times awards,

• The Intermitted catheterisation – the REAL alternative to continence care, in the Continence Promotion and Care category.
• Partnership working with a Romanian Hospital, in the Infection Prevention and Control category.

For the Partnership working with a Romanian Hospital, Project lead, Carole Hallam: "‘I am absolutely thrilled to hear that we have been shortlisted for the Nursing Times Awards and I am proud of the team that have supported this work over the last 10 years"

A voluntary partnership between Zalau Emergency Hospital in the Transylvania region of Romania and CHFT staff facilitated by Medical Support in Romania (MSR) started in 2005. Since then 18 healthcare professionals from the (CHFT) have become involved in an effective working relationship with the healthcare staff in Zalau enabling improvements in healthcare, particularly with regard to infection prevention and control.

The initiative has focused on several key priority areas. These included hand hygiene, infection prevention education, improvement methodologies, clinical governance and audit. We have been able to offer support through training programme, sharing of policies and guidelines and providing support, encouragement and advice. One of the key successes was the writing of an Infection Control Book for the Romanian staff which was written by various CHFT staff and then was translated into Romanian. 1500 copies have been distributed, so far, to hospital staff not only in Zalau but all over Romania.

For The Intermitted catheterisation – the REAL alternative to continence care, in the Continence Promotion and Care category.

Project lead, Maggie said: "To say I’m excited would be an understatement, but it’s head down now to make sure I give it all I’ve got, inorder to present the Project and the Trust in the best possible way"

The Catheter project has been developed to promote safer catheter care and to include the use of Intermittent Catheters (IC) as a first line intervention for people with acute or chronic urinary retention. The use of Intermittent Catheters for the safe management of urinary retention is relevant to all clinical areas. The project also includes increasing knowledge and skills required to assess and manage continence issues including bladder scanning and management of constipation.

The use of intermittent catheterization offers a safer alternative to indwelling catheter use which reduces the associated risk of infection and also minimizes the indignity and embarrassment people face having to wear a urine drainage bag. The project has already seen a reduction in the use of indwelling catheters in project wards with an increase in patient satisfaction.