MERSEY Care’s Safeguarding Duty Hub has won the prestigious Nursing Times Patient Safety Improvement Award for their project on:- "improving patient safety through a trust-wide safeguarding duty hub."

The team beat off competition from 10 other trusts to win the award. The Safeguarding Duty Hub brings together Mersey Care’s adult and children’s safeguarding teams in 1 centralised service, giving healthcare professionals immediate access to specialist safeguarding nursing advice at an early stage.

Jenny Hurst, Mersey Care’s Chief Nurse, said:- “We’re incredibly proud of our Safeguarding Duty Hub and delighted to see their work recognised nationally. By improving information sharing and enabling more timely interventions, they are helping to put safeguarding at the heart of patient care. Their work gives colleagues the support and confidence to ask the right questions, understand people’s circumstances and identify concerns early and provide the highest standards of care.”

By bringing the different expertise and information together from the different teams, it helps identify risks, identifying support needs and taking the right action to keep people safe. By working across organisations, the team provides a coordinated response that considers the needs of the whole family.

Jenny added:- “The Hub provides valuable intelligence from community and mental health services, highlighting early safeguarding concerns that may not otherwise be visible in local authority or police data. This helps safeguarding partnerships and Integrated Care Board colleagues across Cheshire and Merseyside build a fuller picture of vulnerability, including domestic abuse-related harm. Everyone working within the team should be proud of their efforts and impact.”

The Hub’s recognition forms part of the Nursing Times awards, which celebrate the very best in nursing and midwifery, recognising innovation, leadership, compassion and excellence that continue to make a difference to patient care.