NEWS
Scottish standards could mark a ‘step change in older people’s care’ By Jennifer Sprinks
@JenniferSprinks
GETTY IMAGES
Older people in Scotland will have their cognitive status assessed when they are admitted to hospital under new standards published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). The organisation, which inspects hospitals, GP practices and clinics, has developed 16 standards to improve the care of older people in acute settings. The standards have been published on behalf of NHS Scotland to update those created in 2002. Hospitals will be inspected against the revised
standards, which cover areas such as rehabilitation and discharge planning. The new guidance states that older people must undergo a falls risk assessment within 24 hours of admission and measures should be put in place to reduce the risk. The document also emphasises that older people with confirmed or suspected dementia or depression, as well as those experiencing an episode of delirium, are treated with interventions to minimise decline. NHS boards could show evidence of improvements in older people’s care, such as the introduction of
Seoul Medical Center clinical staff check the temperature of a visitor
South Korea tackles virus outbreak Nurses at the Seoul Medical Center in South Korea are testing patients to see whether they have contracted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Eight patients with MERS-CoV were admitted to the centre last week. The viral respiratory disease was first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and it is thought that camels are the primary source of infection for humans. Typical symptoms include fever, cough
and shortness of breath. Others include pneumonia and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea. South Korea’s outbreak is the largest outside Saudi Arabia and so far 16 people are reported to have died after contracting the virus. According to the World Health Organization, 149 people in South Korea have been infected since the virus was first diagnosed last month in a businessman who had returned from the Middle East.
dementia-friendly environments or dementia champions, says HIS. June Andrews, director of the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, said the standards are ‘a definite step in the right direction’ but added that a dementia-friendly ward ‘isn’t just about the bricks and mortar or the interior décor’.
Educated staff
‘The only thing that ensures patients are not neglected is a properly educated workforce team with the right emotional intelligence,’ she said. Another standard states that clear processes should be in place to demonstrate safe staffing levels with appropriate skills mix. Practical examples for doing this include providing evidence of staff education and training relevant to their role and responsibilities. Another is providing a whistleblowing policy for staff concerned about staffing levels. RCN Scotland associate director Ellen Hudson said: ‘Skill mix and safe staffing levels are integral to improving older people’s care. You cannot deliver good and safe care if you do not have the right staff and numbers. Hopefully the standards will help support nurses to voice their concerns, improve processes and resolve issues.’ Derek Young, a policy officer at charity Age Scotland, said the standards should mark a ‘step change in older people’s experiences in hospital’. ‘Many complaints about hospital care relate not to the functional aspects of a patient’s treatment, but to how people feel they have been treated. Now, for the first time, inspectors will be making checks in these areas,’ he said. To read the care of older people in hospital standards, go to tinyurl.com/onk3ymt
NURSING STANDARD juneNo 17 other :: voluses 29 no 42 :: permission. 2015 11 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 27, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Scottish standards could mark a ‘step change in older people’s care’ By Jennifer Sprinks
@JenniferSprinks
GETTY IMAGES
Older people in Scotland will have their cognitive status assessed when they are admitted to hospital under new standards published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). The organisation, which inspects hospitals, GP practices and clinics, has developed 16 standards to improve the care of older people in acute settings. The standards have been published on behalf of NHS Scotland to update those created in 2002. Hospitals will be inspected against the revised
standards, which cover areas such as rehabilitation and discharge planning. The new guidance states that older people must undergo a falls risk assessment within 24 hours of admission and measures should be put in place to reduce the risk. The document also emphasises that older people with confirmed or suspected dementia or depression, as well as those experiencing an episode of delirium, are treated with interventions to minimise decline. NHS boards could show evidence of improvements in older people’s care, such as the introduction of
Seoul Medical Center clinical staff check the temperature of a visitor
South Korea tackles virus outbreak Nurses at the Seoul Medical Center in South Korea are testing patients to see whether they have contracted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Eight patients with MERS-CoV were admitted to the centre last week. The viral respiratory disease was first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and it is thought that camels are the primary source of infection for humans. Typical symptoms include fever, cough
and shortness of breath. Others include pneumonia and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea. South Korea’s outbreak is the largest outside Saudi Arabia and so far 16 people are reported to have died after contracting the virus. According to the World Health Organization, 149 people in South Korea have been infected since the virus was first diagnosed last month in a businessman who had returned from the Middle East.
dementia-friendly environments or dementia champions, says HIS. June Andrews, director of the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, said the standards are ‘a definite step in the right direction’ but added that a dementia-friendly ward ‘isn’t just about the bricks and mortar or the interior décor’.
Educated staff
‘The only thing that ensures patients are not neglected is a properly educated workforce team with the right emotional intelligence,’ she said. Another standard states that clear processes should be in place to demonstrate safe staffing levels with appropriate skills mix. Practical examples for doing this include providing evidence of staff education and training relevant to their role and responsibilities. Another is providing a whistleblowing policy for staff concerned about staffing levels. RCN Scotland associate director Ellen Hudson said: ‘Skill mix and safe staffing levels are integral to improving older people’s care. You cannot deliver good and safe care if you do not have the right staff and numbers. Hopefully the standards will help support nurses to voice their concerns, improve processes and resolve issues.’ Derek Young, a policy officer at charity Age Scotland, said the standards should mark a ‘step change in older people’s experiences in hospital’. ‘Many complaints about hospital care relate not to the functional aspects of a patient’s treatment, but to how people feel they have been treated. Now, for the first time, inspectors will be making checks in these areas,’ he said. To read the care of older people in hospital standards, go to tinyurl.com/onk3ymt
NURSING STANDARD juneNo 17 other :: voluses 29 no 42 :: permission. 2015 11 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 27, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
