The NHS Arden & GEM CSU Medicines Optimisation team has been working in partnership with Warwickshire County Council to deliver a series of training workshops to staff working in care homes.
The workshops have covered constipation, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and hydration, with the intention of increasing the knowledge and skills of staff in order to raise standards of care and instil a preventative approach to conditions which can lead to hospital admissions.
With hospital admissions due to constipation and UTIs estimated to cost the NHS over £500m a year, finding effective strategies to keep some of the most vulnerable people well and out of hospital is a priority for local health and care systems.
Our Medicines Optimisation team designed a series of workshops, to support staff in delivering person centred care. The first three workshops took place in Warwick, attended by over 30 care professionals from seven providers, with a further three workshops planned for October to educate attendees about respiratory conditions.
As well as providing on the day learning, workshop attendees were also given a resource pack to take away which contains a range of supporting information and practical ideas to implement, such as hydration themed activities. Delegate feedback has been extremely positive with 93% of attendees rating the workshop as very good or excellent.
For further information about attending future workshops, or running a similar project in your locality, then email us on contact.ardengem@nhs.net.
Learn more about the services offered by our Medicines Optimisation team here.