We recently hosted our 2026 Clinical Audit and Quality Improvement (QI) Awards, celebrating the outstanding improvement work delivered across our services over the past year.
The event highlighted significant advances in patient safety, patient experience and clinical effectiveness, reflecting the dedication and innovation of teams across the organisation.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be showcasing the achievements of our shortlisted finalists. We begin with the winner of this year’s Clinical Audit category: effectiveness of urine bags for specimen collection (Audit 2100) by Dr Shakir, Dr Annetts and Dr Gill.
Audit title: Improving paediatric specimen collection
Triggered by learning from paediatrics and aligned with NICE Guidance NG224, the improving paediatric specimen collection audit examined urine bag usage and contamination rates in children under 16. The audit identified that urine bags carried a high risk of contamination, often leading to unreliable results, unnecessary antibiotics, and repeated invasive tests.
Following targeted colleague education and active promotion of clean catch techniques, the February 2026 reaudit showed striking improvements:
- Urine bag usage reduced from 23% to 5%
- Usage in infants under two dropped from 70% to 20%
- Overall contamination rates halved from 30% to 15%
These results demonstrate the impact of focused clinical education and reinforce the importance of prioritising clean catch methods to ensure accurate diagnosis and safer care.
Dr Simon Merritt, Chief Medical Officer, said: “This is a fantastic example of grassroots quality improvement in action. The team have taken learning from a real case, applied national guidance and delivered changes that directly improve the care of our youngest patients. By reducing contamination and supporting quicker, more reliable diagnosis, this work strengthens patient safety and enhances the experience of families. I’m incredibly proud of the team for driving this forward and showing the power of clinically led improvement.”