Project to boost patient safety
A local NHS initiative aimed at improving the safety of people taking medications has been shortlisted for a prestigious HSJ Patient Safety Award.
Medicines play a vital role in helping people stay healthy, but they can also carry risks. Some medications require close monitoring to ensure they are used safely. To address this, NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB) partnered with local GP practices to enhance medicine safety across the region.
Using newly available data in an innovative way, NHS teams were able to quickly identify potential safety issues and work collaboratively with GP practices to resolve them.
Thanks to this project, patient safety has already improved in several key areas, for example:
- More patients are now being actively monitored for side effects, reducing the risk of hospital admissions.
- Patients at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding are being prescribed protective medication.
- Hundreds of patients at risk of stroke have been prescribed medicines to help prevent one.
This collaborative effort has earned national recognition, being shortlisted in the Improving Medicines Safety category at the 2025 HSJ Patient Safety Awards. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester on 15 September.