The NHS trust behind Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot has been named Best Organisation at the 2016 Patient Safety Awards.

The Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was announced as the winner during a ceremony in Manchester earlier this month.

It had been shortlisted with other top bodies from across the country in the awards, which are run by the Health Service Journal and the Nursing Times.

Judges said the decision was unanimously in favour of Frimley Health and they praised its “courageous approach” to improving safety.

For example, avoidable harm rates have been significantly reduced in the last eight years and a Sign Up to Safety campaign has led to more than 500 staff making personal pledges to improve safety.

Moreover, the trust promotes an open and honest culture so staff feel able to make suggestions for improvements.

Patient experience feedback is reviewed at both ward and board level to ensure areas for improvement are identified and acted upon.

A new process for handling complaints has been adopted, with formal grievances at Heatherwood and its Slough sister Wexham Park Hospital falling by 62% over the last year.

The award judges said they had seen “good examples of learning from others and powerful stories” and the trust was “not afraid to face challenges head on.”

They added that it was “nice to see staff safety designed with improving patient safety” and said it was “impossible to make patients feel safe unless staff feel safe, cared for and listened to.”

Tracey Coulson, head of patient safety at Frimley Health, said: “We are delighted to be named Best Organisation in the Patient Safety Awards 2016.

“Patient safety is at the core of everything we do. It is a real team effort and this award reflects the continuing hard work of all our staff across the trust and our ambition to improve patient safety at every opportunity.”