WINNER

University Hospitals Birmingham FT

Alfa Controlled Drug Software

University Hospitals Birmingham replaced its paper-based controlled drug system across 141 wards and four hospitals with Alfa, a co-designed digital platform. The move came after audit compliance plummeted to 67 per cent, well below the 85 per cent target.

Alfa transformed their day-to-day operations by introducing:

  • Real-time safety checks: Swapped slow quarterly audits for instant discrepancy detection, surfacing previously hidden risks like unauthorised transfers and missing stock.
  • Barcode scanning: Streamlined medication delivery while wiping out mis-selection risks.
  • Digital ordering: Replaced paper requisitions with secure digital signatures that fully satisfy the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

By early 2026, ward compliance hit a perfect 100 per cent across all sites. Better yet, medication administration times dropped by up to 80 per cent, giving staff back over 77,000 hours a year to focus on patient care.

Read a detailed case study about this project at HSJ Solutions.

Highly commended

The Northwest Ambulance Service: From Risk to Response: Embedding a Digital Maternity Decision Support in NWAS, The MAMAs Team

Finalists

Medway FT: Right Guidance, Right People, Right Time: Streamlining Clinical Decision Support Access

Royal Berkshire FT: Bleep Replacement – Alertive

Modality Partnership: Automating Assurance: A Closed-Loop Digital Safety Alert System Across 55 Sites

Midlands Partnership University FT: Utilisation of Cinapsis to Avoid Missed/Delayed Referrals from Diabetic Eye Screening to Hospital Eye Services

The Royal Wolverhampton Trust: Safer Care by Design – Our Digital BluEPRint for Transforming Patient Safety: The Digital Clinical Safety Model.

University Hospital Tees FT: Designing for the Most Vulnerable: Embedding Digital Safety, Equity and Early Recognition

Topics

HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026: Winners revealed

HSJ-Patient-Safety-Awards-704x385-1 (1)

The winners of the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026 were announced last night, recognising outstanding efforts to make care safer.