HEIW Improvement Prize 2025/26 winner announcement

Published 01/04/2026

The HEIW Improvement Prize 2025/26 has been awarded to Fleur McGill, Dental Core Trainee (Year 3) in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Fleur is based at Morriston Hospital, Swansea Bay University Health Board, which is where she undertook her winning quality improvement project, entitled: “Assessing and improving tracheostomy documentation and emergency equipment availability in ward T patients.”

The project focused on making improvements in documentation and emergency equipment availability, to ensure safe and effective care for patients. She reflected on the success of her project with the following statement: 

“The aim of the project was to improve patient safety within a cohort of complex patients, making it a particularly important area of focus. Ward T in Morriston Hospital cares for both Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) patients. It includes a dedicated unit for individuals with complex airways, including tracheostomies and laryngectomies.
 
My aim was to identify gaps in equipment provision and plan tests of change to address them, with a target of achieving 90% compliance. As a result, compliance improved from an initial 64% to a final average of 93%. I am delighted that my project was recognised, shortlisted for the HEIW Improvement Prize 2025/26, and feel honoured to have won.”

The judging panel also awarded Highly Commended certificates to Jerlin Jose, Dental Officer at Betsi Cadwaladr University Hospital Health Board and Laura Thomas, Quality Improvement Service Transformation Facilitator, Hywel Dda University Health Borad, for their quality improvement projects.

Jerlin’s project was entitled: “Improving the consent taking process of Inhalational Sedation” 

Jerlin said “I undertook this quality improvement (QI) I project as part of my Dental core training year 2 training programme. I had completed a bronze level IQT as part of my dental foundation training year but still did not feel I had any skills to complete a QI project. 

The Quality Improvement Skills Training (QIST) workshops helped go through the principles of QI and what good project should include. It gave me a good foundation to be able to find a project in community dental services (CDS) to improve. The QI tutors were approachable, readily contactable and checking how I was getting on during the project. 

I now work as a dental officer in the same CDS, we are always looking for opportunities to undergo improvement, where my QI skills will become useful."

Laura’s project was entitled: “Preventing Deconditioning: A Quality Improvement Project for Clinically Able Patients on a Cardiac Ward.”

Laura said: "I completed my Quality Improvement Project whilst still new to the Quality Improvement team in my health board and the experience significantly strengthened my learning and confidence with Quality Improvement. 

The project aimed to increase the number of clinically able patients on the Cardiac Ward who were up and dressed by 12pm. Using QI methodologies and PDSA cycles, we introduced interventions such as an information board, Prevent Deconditioning Champions, creative patient engagement activities, protected mealtimes and enhanced hydration initiatives. These changes led to sustained improvements in patient activity levels and boosted staff morale. We now plan to build on this progress by spreading and scaling the work across other wards."

The HEIW Quality Improvement Skills Training (QIST) Team works in partnership with Quality Safety and Improvement, as part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement to develop and deliver a unique Quality Improvement training programme for healthcare professionals across Wales. QI methodology equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills that can be used to implement real time changes, to enhance health services and the learning environment in areas of patient safety, wellbeing and sustainability. 

The HEIW Improvement Prize is an annual competition open to all NHS Wales staff. Entrants are invited to submit a completed Quality Improvement project, which is then reviewed by a judging panel for consideration.

More information on the 2026/27 prize, including the opening date for submissions, will be announced in due course. For further information on the QIST programme, please visit the HEIW website.