Emergency End of Life Response Team (EELRT) shortlisted for the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026

Rowans Hospice, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are delighted to announce that they have been shortlisted for the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026, which recognises the critical work being done to address the complexities of delivering safe care amidst times of significant change and long-standing pressures.

The joint shortlisted entry, the Emergency End of Life Response Team (EELRT) was selected following a rigorous judging process and has been recognised as a standout example of Patient safety which extends beyond clinical excellence – it is about fostering a culture of openness, learning, and collaboration while harnessing the power of technology to create safer, more resilient systems.

The 2026 awards judging panel was made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Stella Vig, Deputy National Medical Director for Secondary Care and Quality at NHS England, Charlotte Aston, National UEC Director at GIRFT UEC National team, Afifa Qazi, Chief Medical Officer at Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust, Andrew Raynes, Chief Information Officer at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Palmer Winstanley, Chief Executive at Barnet Hospital, Nathan Askew, Chief Nurse at Alder Hey Childrens’ NHS Foundation Trust.

The multi organisation, integrated EELRT service improves quality of life by helping more people in the last days of their life to be in their preferred place of care e.g. staying at home/care home or rapid discharge from hospital. EELRT enables this through 1) Call before conveying to hospital, 2) Rapid assessment in hospital, 3) Coordination of services and 4) Support by Hospice at Home Teams.

In the first six months, the EELRT service partnership has helped 84% of people referred, to stay at home/care home or be rapidly discharged from hospital. This equals to 816 days in their preferred place and approximately £580,796 saved by people not being in hospital in the last days of their life.

EELRT does this by rapidly providing a senior clinician specialist palliative care assessment, advice and plan, ensuring a ‘safe enough’ shared decision (with risks assessed and acted upon) to discharge from hospital or stay at home/care home supported by Hospice at Home Teams.

Across Portsmouth and Southeast Hampshire, EELRT is changing patient and family experience, staff confidence and knowledge, as well as policies, procedures, education and working practices.

Dr Mary Parkes, EELRT Clinical Lead, Rowans Hospice:

“We are honoured to be shortlisted for the HSJ Patient Safety Awards. This recognition will be a huge boost for our dedicated and hard-working multi-organisational team.”

Dr Katie Jerram, Medical Director, Rowans Hospice:

“In line with the NHS 10-year strategy to shift more care from hospital to community, EELRT provides assessors capable of making brave decisions at end of life. Too often patients end up in ED because they or those caring for them don’t know where else to turn. This service allows concerns around symptoms, care and support to be addressed and managed so that patients can feel safe in their preferred place”.

Dr Sarah Russell RN, Consultant Nurse and Trust Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust:

“EELRT is the difference that makes the difference. The hospital teams proactively identify people for EELRT, and the community teams respond rapidly. It means we can quickly help somebody be where they want to be. It is a highly effective, cost-efficient game changer”

AnMarie Channer RN, Head of Clinical Services for Community Specialist Palliative Care, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire Division: 

‘’EELRT personalises every patient’s situation within a system that challenges personalised care. EELRT is a collaboration of committed clinicians, paying attention to ‘what matters’ confidently acting upon ‘what should be done’. EELRT restores power to patient’s by removing ‘No Way Out’ signs and invisible walls. ‘’

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 28 September 2026 at The Telford International Centre. The event shines a light on outstanding teams who are improving patient safety across health and care. For more details on the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Awards shortlist, visit https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/shortlist-2026