09 December, 2020: St John Ambulance is among the winners of the Health Service Journal’s annual Patient Safety Awards. 

The Bolton Homeless Outreach Nursing Team Collaborations clinched ‘Highly Commended’ in the Best Partnership Solution Improving Patient Safety category.  

St John is a partner in this ongoing work providing help to homeless people in the Bolton area, working alongside Greater Manchester Mental Health, Homeless Welfare, Bolton Council, Homeless Aid UK, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, and Bolton Homeless Outreach Nursing Team.   

The ‘one stop shop’ for Bolton’s homeless sees a collaboration between a street kitchen, drug and alcohol services, housing support and of course, St John Ambulance’s mobile treatment centre, providing first aid and ongoing support and advice in the town centre, every Tuesday evening.  

The judges felt that the project was strong, with “clear goals, and a focus on collaboration across the whole integrated care sector to support health and mental wellbeing.”  

They specifically highlighted the harm reduction and prevention for a “hard to engage area of the population” as well as the fact that the project has not incurred additional costs, which they stated as ’admirable’, going on to say this will “ensure that this model will be attractive to other similar organisations.”  

Graham Ellis, community operations manager from St John Ambulance said: “I’m delighted to hear that this project has received recognition from the Health Service Journal.  

“The work that we’re doing in Bolton is only made possible by the hard work and dedication of all the partner agencies involved.  

“Community is at the heart of everything we do at St John and we are proud to be able to make a difference to the health resilience of vulnerable people.”