A nurse whose research project has saved the health service more than £400,000 over a nine month period has won an innovation award. The project, by Marina Lupari of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, led to reduced unplanned hospital admissions among older people with long-term health conditions.
A chronic illness case management [CICM] service was established within the Trust and 16 full-time nurses recruited to deliver specialist care for patients with serious respiratory problems, heart failure and diabetic conditions. Nurses were provided with additional education and support in working with high-risk older people in their own homes in order to manage their multiple chronic conditions.
Marina won the inaugural Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Frontline First Innovation Award for research as part of her doctoral fellowship funded by HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency (PHA). Her PhD study was ‘An evaluation of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a case management approach for chronic conditions in a community healthcare setting’.
She came first out of 300 other nominations from across the UK to win the award, which was presented at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 25 January. Marina also received funding to help in further developing the project. Her research, conducted through the University of Ulster, involved supervisors Professor Vivien Coates from the Institute of Nursing Research and Professor Gary Adamson, School of Psychology.
Congratulating Marina and her supervisors on her achievement, a spokesperson for HSC R&D at the PHA said it was “a real demonstration of the benefits that can be brought by innovative approaches to healthcare”.
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Caption:
At the RCN Innovation Award, from left, Marina Lupari, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, with RCN President Andrea Spyropoulos.