St Andrew's Healthcare has been shortlisted for a top healthcare award for its “innovative and forward thinking” digital approach to patient care.

St Andrew’s Healthcare has been recognised in the Excellence in Clinical Innovation category at the prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Independent Healthcare Providers Awards.

The awards programme celebrates the invaluable contributions of independent healthcare providers to the NHS and how they are continuing to foster innovation and integration across the healthcare system.

St Andrew’s was nominated because the charity has implemented a process with a digital dashboard which has significantly improved physical health monitoring for all patients.

Dr Sanjith Kamath, Executive Medical Director at St Andrew’s Healthcare, said: “When it comes to looking after our patients, their physical health is as much our concern, as well as their mental state. Historically, physical health observations were always recorded manually using paper charts which introduced significant risks, including human error, incomplete records, delays in escalation, and inefficient processes.

“Physical health can have a direct impact on mental health and vice versa, which is why we needed to prioritise this and find a system which would help us pick up problems with physical health early, so we could intervene quickly where needed.”

The digital team at St Andrew’s came together to create a digital observation system, linked to the patient’s health records which could be accessed on the wards via handheld devices.

The data is automatically uploaded to the physical healthcare dashboard, which means staff have access to real-time alerts so intervention can be rapid should any abnormal readings be detected. The physical health team proactively monitor and escalate care for deteriorating patients, which has had a huge positive impact on their health.

Dr Kamath said: “The digital solution we’ve introduced has delivered significant, quantifiable benefits for our patients. The system has facilitated earlier escalation of care, reducing the need for emergency interventions and physical health related incidents.

“Additionally, using the handheld mobile devices ln the wards has drastically reduced the administrative workload on clinical staff. Nursing teams save an estimated 30 hours per week by no longer having to transcribe physical health data from paper charts into electronic health records. This means they now have more time to focus on direct patient care.”

The success of the digital project has attracted attention from external healthcare providers, with several NHS organisations having expressed interest in replicating the system.

Dr Geraldine Strathdee, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health, also used the dashboard as an example of good work within a report published earlier this year.

Dr Kamath added: “This digital solution we’ve created has revolutionised the way we care for our patients. It’s a real game changer and has shown how innovative and forward-thinking can really make a huge difference to the lives of the people we care for. I use the dashboard everyday and I would be lost without it.

“All our senior leaders, clinical and ward staff have said how helpful they find the data recording and having all the information for their division, ward and even individual patient to hand at just the touch of a button.

“The acceptance of the changes and the data-driven culture has transformed us from where we were six years ago. We now have front line clinicians and other staff across the charity using data to make better informed decisions.”

The HSJ Independent Healthcare Providers Awards are incorporated into the HSJ Partnership Awards for the inaugural event and all selected winners will be announced during the joint awards ceremony at Evolution London on 20 March 2025.