Hand therapy team 'highly commended' in national health awards

Two therapists from Northampton General Hospital have won a highly commended placing in a national award for a new way of supporting patients that also cuts carbon emissions.

Hand Therapy Team Leads Emma Baker and Lucy Wimmer won the runner-up rating in the finals of the HSJ Awards 2024 in the Towards Net Zero Award category.

Their entry was a proposal around hand therapy – something which patients receive after having an operation on their hands or arms after a soft tissue injury or bone fracture or after having surgery for another reason, such as tendon repair.

They realised that patients sometimes had delays in receiving therapy because of the need to contact patients to set up post-operative appointments and therapy sessions.

So instead they decided to offer patients a hand therapy consultation before they went in for their operation, and set some appointments in advance, so that the patient already knew what to do and expect after their operation.

This enabled patients to start their therapy, including exercises, splinting and wound checks, without delay, speeding up their recovery, reducing complications, and reducing the need for multiple follow-up appointments with the resultant extra car journeys and impact on the environment.

Lucy said: “We were overwhelmed and honoured to have been Highly Commended in the HSJ Awards and to have stood out amongst some serious competition in our category!

“We strongly believed in our idea for changing the hand therapy pathway and have found it has had benefits for both our patients and colleagues.

“We provided lots of evidence and the judges must have agreed this was a project with significant benefits. It meant we were able to talk to patients about what to expect after having their operation and during their recovery.

“This reduced their anxiety, reduced complications, and shortened episodes of care. It also reduced number of appointments needed, journeys to and from the hospital, and enabled them to plan for their rehabilitation and feel empowered.”

The team has now adopted the pre-surgery consultation pathway for all of its plastic surgery trauma patients. Projected across a year (with 132 patients) it is estimated it will save the hospital £88,829 and the environment 22,651 kgCO2e, equivalent to driving 66,896 miles in an average car.

Hand Therapy is delivered in the hospital’s outpatient department and accepts acute referrals from trauma and orthopaedics (T&O) consultants, virtual fracture clinic and plastics consultants.

Editor of the Health Service Journal, Alastair McLellan, said: “Year on year, I’m always so impressed by the innovation, dedication and integrity of all those who take the time to submit an entry to the HSJ Awards.

“I’d therefore like to extend my personal congratulations to the Northampton General Hospital’s Hand Therapy Team for achieving Highly Commended in the Towards Net Zero category. “

Competition to get into the HSJ Award finals this year has been intense with more than 1,351 entries resulting in only 235 projects and individuals reaching the finals on November 21. 

The judging panel was made up of a diverse range of more than 200 influential and respected figures within the healthcare community.