Nurses in Worcester are to do "care rounds" to check if patients are pain-free, comfortable and have enough to drink in a new bid to improve care and cut complaints.

The care rounds will be introduced across inpatient areas within the county’s five community hospitals in Pershore, Evesham, Malvern, Tenbury and Bromsgrove and at Newtown Hospital in Worcester.
Bosses at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust hope regular checks will improve patient care, reduce complaints and decrease the need for patients to ring call bells for attention.

Sandra Brennan, director of quality and executive nurse, said the organisation planned to introduce the care rounds across all clinical settings but first of all within in-patient areas.
The care rounds will involve checks on patients every two hours, checking their comfort, safety, emotional state, nutrition and hydration.

“We are introducing care rounds across all clinical settings, starting off in in-patient areas from the beginning of next month, checking all patients are safe and comfortable on a two-hourly basis.

“That’s things like making sure they’re pain-free, they’re comfortable, they’re not about to fall out of bed, they have a drink to hand. It’s an opportunity for the nurse to ask the patient if they’re comfortable.”

Mrs Brennan wrote: “What is critical with this approach is reliability and the consistency of care will bring with it confidence for both patients and staff. We know from other trusts who have implemented care rounds that they have witnessed a lowering of the use of patient call bells and complaints.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has its own care and comfort rounds where it makes similar checks on patients every two hours at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.
These checks will be stepped up to hourly rounds from next month. The board of directors also perform monthly patient safety walkabouts.