Red Bag scheme launches in Warwickshire!
21 March 2019
The national NHS Red Bag scheme is launching in Warwickshire with an initial cohort of 32 Older People care homes across the county.
The scheme aims to help facilitate a quick, safe and well organised handover of care when a care home resident is admitted to hospital.
A dedicated Red Bag is packed that contains everything needed during their hospital stay including information about their health condition.
Bags are provided free of charge to providers, with sufficient bags allocated according to the size of the home and resident needs.
How the Red Bag works
When a resident becomes unwell and is assessed as requiring hospital admittance, care home staff pack a Red Bag for them which includes everything they need to make their stay as effective as possible. This includes:
- Information regarding their care needs and medical history
- Any other relevant documents (e.g. This Is Me, MAR sheet, DNAR etc)
- Change of clothes
- Personal belongings (e.g. toiletries, book)
- Any aids required (e.g. hearing aid, glasses)
The bag is passed over to ambulance staff when picking up the resident. It then stays with the resident throughout their hospital stay and allows them to keep their belongings together, as well as giving hospital staff one eye-catching place where they can find up to date information around their care needs and medical condition.
Upon discharge, hospital staff also include a copy of the discharge summary and information about how the resident’s needs may have changed.
Benefits of the Red Bag
- Improved communication and information sharing between professionals
- More efficient ambulance pickup
- Health staff can more easily determine the best course of treatment and provide person centred care
- Fewer phone calls between hospital and care home determining needs of resident
- More effectively planned discharge
- Fewer lost belongings
- Better experience for the resident who feels more in control and has reduced impact from the deconditioning related to longer hospital stays
How can my care home get involved?
The project will continue to be rolled out to the wider Older People care home market, therefore other providers will be hearing more very soon.