Patients: Reducing patient falls in the 4th quarter of 2017/2018
The problem
45% of patient falls on an acute elderly ward were on a Sunday.
What we did:
- Supported by our technology ‘The Kitbag’, we worked with the ward team to support the design of metrics which were clinically relevant for the team, then collect and analyse their own data, take ownership of it and develop the confidence to use and make decisions based upon it.
- The staff and teams felt empowered to identify and implement actions that they could monitor, in real time, to ensure actions had the intended effect.
What we Achieved:
- A ward team who owned their data, developed confidence in that data and made decisions based on the data.
- The ward team diagnosed the cause and effect of reduced staffing on a Sunday.
- The Sister was empowered to alter her rota (at no extra cost) to ensure a Dementia Champion was on duty on a Sunday. This resulted in the number of falls on a Sunday reducing to 0 which was sustained.
- The quality improvements were assimilated into daily working practice as ‘standard work’ as were the measurement of impact.
- By impacting on quality outcomes, such as falls, there has been a cost saving associated for our client. The average cost of a fall to an acute hospital is £3000, (The Kings Fund, 2013).
