NHS Lanarkshire’s digital safety planning for self-harm and suicidal ideation team was announced as the winner of the inspiring excellence – nursing research and innovation award at the Royal College of Nursing awards ceremony in June.
Team lead Lisa Gartshore’s idea for this new service grew from handing a patient a paper form and being told ‘my life is on my phone, I’ll never remember that’.
The Digital Safety Plan (DSP) supports patients to use their own mobile devices to store a DSP that they create. The digital version is designed to be customised and personalised by the patient. Innovative uses of music, sensory aids, symbols, photos and pictures means that this service is fully accessible to people of all literacy levels.
The DSP creates a collaborative dialogue between clinicians and patients, being trauma informed and recovery focussed. Working with colleagues across NHS Lanarkshire, Lisa used her personal time to drive this innovation forward to a point where the benefit could be presented to senior management. Lisa and the team are proud to see the innovation delivering on both national digital health strategy outcomes and national suicide prevention strategy outcomes
Commenting on the team’s award win, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director said:
“This project and the team behind it area clear example of how innovation and clinical research can lead to positive change for patients, service users and colleagues. Harnessing innovation and having the courage to develop and champion new ideas, as demonstrated by Lisa and the team, are crucial in moving the nursing profession forward. With the scope and resources, nursing proves time and time again what it is capable of.”
