Northern Trust clinical pharmacists win prestigious UK award for tech-driven patient care

Diane Holden and Donna Houston, winners of the ‘technology to support medicines optimisation’ category at the PrescQIPP UK National Awards.

Clinical pharmacists at Antrim Area Hospital have won a UK-wide award for an innovative project that merges medicine with technology to improve patient safety and independence.

Diane Holden and Donna Houston took home first prize in the ‘Technology to Support Medicines Optimisation’ category at the PrescQIPP UK National Awards in Nottingham.

Their winning quality improvement project introduced a new approach to the self-management of medicines within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, giving patients access to an online video showing how to safely administer essential blood-clotting injections (Enoxaparin) at home.

Filmed in a Trust facility and featuring Northern Trust staff, the video delivers a local, patient-focused resource that complements in-person hospital advice. It provides step-by-step demonstrations, highlights key safety points, and offers reassurance through repetition and visual cues.

Initially piloted in Antrim Area Hospital’s Emergency Department, the project has since been rolled out across the hospital, to Causeway Hospital, and outpatient clinics throughout the Trust. It has helped to transform patient involvement in their own care, ensure consistency in training, and increase staff efficiency.

The initiative was supported by the Trust’s My Journey team, which uses podcasts, webinars and videos to enhance communication of clinical information to patients.

Commitment to Safer Care

Welcoming the success, Julia Tolan, Head of Pharmacy at the Northern Trust, said:

“The safe use of medicines is at the heart of our work every day, and we all have a role to play when it comes to improved safety in the use of high-risk medicines.

“The Enoxaparin self-administration videos will have safety benefits for our patients and support healthcare teams in practice.

“I want to congratulate Donna, Diane and everyone involved across the clinical pharmacy and My Journey teams on winning this award and for their quality improvement approach to the design, development and production of this excellent resource.”

Positive Impact on Patients

Feedback from patient questionnaires has shown improved confidence, higher satisfaction, and reduced anxiety about self-administering injections.

One patient described the difference the resource made during their recovery:

“I was ever so thankful to have access to this video at home. I was in a lot of pain following a fall and had badly hurt my ankle. When I was hit with the comment that I had to give myself injections for two weeks it was a bit of a shock.

“It is so busy in ED and although it was explained how to administer the injection, I was in such a daze, and I was so desperate to get home, most of what was said went in one ear and out the other. I arrived home and realised I did not really know what to do.

“The video is so clear and covers everything you would ever need to know. I was able to pause it and go back at times. It is an excellent resource and reinforces visually what to do.”

The project demonstrates how digital tools can make a meaningful difference to patient empowerment and safety, earning recognition across the UK for its innovative, patient-centred approach.