Safety lead wins national award
Our Director of Safety and Patient Safety Specialist has won a national award for her contribution to delivering healthcare.
Moriam Adekunle has won a Special Recognition Award in Zenith Global Health’s Global Health Awards 2023.
The Special Recognition Awards are presented to people who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare across the board.
Moriam is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Florence Nightingale Scholar, with more than 27 years' experience.
She has been at the forefront of enhancing safety and patient care since joining our Trust in 2021.
Moriam established the EPUT Lessons Team, which leads on our ongoing work to share learning with staff across our Trust, so that we continuously improve our services and care.
One of their projects is to develop a new EPUT Safety and Lessons Management System with technology company MASS, which includes experts who have worked with other complex organisations, such as the Ministry of Defence and Public Health England.
The system will help us improve how we analyse and interpret data relating to incidents, develop action plans to address issues raised and share safety learning and other crucial information to staff across our 200 sites.
Moriam has also led the development of our revised Patient Safety Incident Response Plan, which sets out how we will respond to and learn from patient safety incidents over the next three years.
These are part of new NHS standards on how Trusts investigate incidents and identify improvements in systems and processes.
She has led on the introduction of Patient Safety Partners, who regularly speak to our patients and carers and share their feedback, so that we can address any concerns they raise and ensure they receive the best possible care.
Moriam is also passionate about supporting staff to grow and develop their skills and careers. She introduced the Resilience, Intelligence, Strength and Excellence (RISE) programme, which is a customised talent development programme for colleagues from black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds.
So far, 94 staff have completed the programme in the two years since it was introduced.
The programme is part of our commitment to creating a fair and inclusive workplace for all.
Prior to joining EPUT, Moriam was Associate Director of Nursing (Clinical Effectiveness) at North East London NHS Foundation Trust.
She led on a number of projects during her time at the Trust, including a simulation training centre at Goodmayes Hospital, where staff could practice their clinical skills in simulated scenarios, and introducing software to record physical assessments and observations of patients.
Moriam said: “It is an honour to be recognised in this way, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had over my career to make a difference and ensure delivery of safe and effective care.”
The Special Recognition Award will be presented at the Global Health Awards in London on 7 October.