Shropshire hospital ward launches new campaign
Staff on a ward at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital have launched a campaign designed to help patients recover more quickly.
The campaign encourages patients to wear their day clothes in the day and only get changed into their pyjamas at night.
It has been launched by staff on Ward 32 short stay at RSH and is part of a wider national campaign.
Zoe Day, ward manager, said: “We want our patients to feel that they don’t have to wear their pyjamas all day, every day just because they are in hospital.
“We want to encourage them to feel better and sometimes something as simple as a wash and a change of clothes does just that.”
The campaign has already been used successfully by other NHS trusts and is backed by the emergency care intensive support team (ECIST), which helps urgent and emergency care staff across England to deliver improvements in quality, safety, and patient flow by using solutions that are proven to work.
Clare Walsgrove, matron for Ward 32, said: “The idea is really simple. Instead of patients staying in their PJs all day, we encourage them to wear their day clothes in the day and get changed into their PJs at night - just like they would if they were at home.
“It might seem like a minor thing that wouldn’t make much difference, but it can have a huge impact.
“Any stay in hospital can lead to a higher risk of infection and reduced mobility which can increase the length of that stay.
“In patients over the age of 80, 10 days in hospital leads to the equivalent of 10 years ageing in the muscles - that can mean a patient walking into hospital from their own home but leaving hospital bed-bound unable to return home.
“Patients want to be at home, not in hospital, and we believe that through this scheme, we can help them to get home sooner.”
Staff on Ward 32 will be speaking to patients and relatives and asking them to ensure the patient has a clean set of comfy outdoor clothes with them at all times.
Ms Day said: “We will be making sure that all patients coming onto the ward, and their loved ones, know about the scheme and what we are trying to achieve through it.
“We have produced a leaflet explaining the benefits and encourage anyone with any questions or concerns to talk to any of our nursing staff.”
