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Showing results for tags 'Older People (over 65)'.
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Content ArticleThe aim of this study in BMJ Open was to develop quality standards that define minimal requirements for safe medication processes in nursing homes. After identifying key topics for medication safety from a systematic search for similar guidelines, prior work and discussions with experts, the authors specified the essential requirements for each key topic. They then evaluated these requirements with a piloted, two-round Delphi study. The study developed 85 quality standards for safer and resident-oriented medication in Swiss nursing homes.
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News Article
GPs think older patients cannot handle health apps on phones
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
Over-55s are not being recommended useful health technology as GPs presume they cannot use a smartphone, say researchers Older patients are being excluded from beneficial health technology because “ageist” doctors presume they cannot work a smartphone, research has suggested. Experts have accused doctors of “stereotyping” older people as being incapable of using technology and warned patient safety was being put at risk by a failure to support them in using appropriate online health tools. GPs typically recommend NHS-approved health apps to about one in 10 patients aged under 35 to help them manage their conditions between appointments, such as by reminding them to take medications or monitoring their symptoms. However, doctors recommend the same apps to just one in 25 patients over 55 and one in 50 patients over 65, according to research by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA), which assesses apps for the health service. The same research found 55 per cent of over-55s would be happy to try using a health app if it was recommended, while nine in 10 over-55s and eight in 10 over-65s who have used a health app felt satisfied or very satisfied with the experience. The NHS Long Term Plan states that patients should have access to “digital tools” to manage their health and studies have shown NHS-approved health apps can have clinical benefits. Older people ‘will benefit from digital products’ However, Helen Hughes, the chief executive of the charity Patient Safety Learning, suggested ageist assumptions about older people’s technological ability meant they were missing out. “The data suggests that older people maybe being stereotyped, with assumptions they won’t be computer literate,” she said. “Plenty of older people are tech savvy – or at least willing to learn – and will really benefit from being able to manage their health from home, using digital products. Older patients need to be offered technology solutions with support on how best to use them, if this is needed.” She warned there was also “a significant patient safety issue” with the failure to advise patients about NHS-approved apps, as it left older patients at risk of inadvertently downloading one of the thousands of unreliable health apps available. To read the full article (paywalled), click here Original Source: The Telegraph -
Content Article
CPOC: Perioperative care of people living with frailty
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Surgery
Frailty is a condition characterised by loss of biological reserve, failure of physiological mechanisms and vulnerability to a range of adverse outcomes including increased risk of morbidity, mortality and loss of independence in the perioperative period. With the increasing recognition of the prevalence of frailty in the surgical population and the impact on postoperative outcomes, The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) and the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) have worked together to develop a whole pathway guideline on perioperative care for people living with frailty undergoing elective and emergency surgery. The scope of this guideline covers all aspects of perioperative care relevant to adults living with frailty undergoing elective and emergency surgery. It is written for healthcare professionals involved in delivering care throughout the pathway, as well as for patients and their carers, managers and commissioners. -
Content ArticleThis YouTube channel contains video resources designed to raise awareness of falls and how to prevent them. The videos contain simple techniques to help prevent falls and promote healthy lifestyle choices. Videos include a daily 'Falls and management exercise class' and a weekly 'Functional Fitness MOT' for patients to use at home.
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Content ArticleThis video presents some highlights of the HSJ Patient Safety Awards on 20 September 2021 at Manchester Central, and includes short interviews with some of the judges and award winners. The HSJ Patient Safety Awards were set up to recognise and celebrate projects that improve patient safety and quality of care. This year, the judges commented that nominees across 23 categories were all of a very high quality and presented innovative projects that made real improvements to patient safety in the NHS. "The quality of this year was quite phenomenal - we were really impressed at how inventive people had been in coming up with solutions to COVID as part of safety strategies," said Lesley Durham, President of the International Society of Rapid Response Systems and member of the awards judging panel. The awards showcase excellent projects and ways of working that have potential to be replicated in other areas. A team from Devon Partnership Trust/Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust won the award for Mental Health Initiative of the Year for their project 'Connecting physical and mental health services in Gastroenterology'. A representative from the team said, "What we want to do now is take this, shout about it and make it happen elsewhere." Many award winners commented on the importance of teamwork across services and trusts and recognised that collaboration was a key part of the success of their projects. View the full list of award winners
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News Article
New volunteer programme to help older patients reduce risk of fall
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new volunteering programme is aiming to bring trained volunteers into the homes of older patients to provide one-to-one support. The Falls Prevention Community Exercise Volunteers programme is being run by the volunteering service at Kingston Hospital NHS FT, which is funded by the volunteering organisation Helpforce and the Kingston Hospital Charity. It hopes that this will improve the strength, balance, and mobility of elderly patients, as well as improve their overall health and well-being. This is then expected to reduce the strain on the NHS caused by falls among older patients. Research from NICE in 2018 showed that the risk of falls in elderly patients can be reduced by as much as 54%, when they take part in exercises focused on improving strength and balance. Bianca Larch, Community Outreach Manager at the trust, said: “We are delighted to launch this much needed volunteering service to support our patients at home. “With volunteers supporting patients to undertake a physiotherapy prescribed exercise programme, we hope to see improved strength, mobility and balance in our patients and in turn reduce their risk of falls significantly. “This programme can really improve the quality of life of our patients by restoring well-being and independence, especially for those waiting to access various community interventions.” Read full story Source: National Health Executive, 9 September 2021 -
EventuntilJulie Tyrer, Tissue Viability Nurse Consultant at Liverpool Heart and Chest, NHS Foundation Trust, presents her new ‘Minimise Moisture’ initiative for raising awareness of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) during the next Harm Free Care Network online meeting. Register
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Content ArticleThe use of digital health services has risen over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital divide and the resulting impact on people’s experiences of the pandemic have disproportionately affected certain groups of society. Age UK analysis suggested that only 24% of those aged 75+ were using the internet more during the pandemic, and 9% were using it less. And although the population has become better connected since the start of the pandemic, still 6% of homes (around 1.5 million households) in the UK lack home internet access. People in the poorest households are four times more likely to not use the internet at home than those in the wealthiest households. Disability, impairment, and health conditions also correlate with lower levels of digital access and use. In this article, Emma Stone, Director of design, research and communications at the Good Things Foundation, discusses the implications of digital health services on inequalities.
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Content ArticleThis article reviews the Missouri Quality Initiative, which aims to reduce hospital admissions among nursing home residents. It involves placing an advanced practice registered nurse within the nursing home, supported by an interdisciplinary team of long-term care specialists, to identify when a resident may be experiencing a functional decline. Results from this initiative showed statistically significant decreases in hospitalisations.
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News ArticleSelf-harm among the over-65s must receive greater focus because of the increased risks associated with the pandemic, a leading expert has said. Loneliness, bereavement and reluctance to access GPs can all be causes in older adults, said Prof Nav Kapur, who has produced guidelines on the subject. He warned that in over-65s, without the right help, self-harm can also be a predictor of later suicide attempts. The NHS's mental health director said it had expanded its community support. Claire Murdoch added that its services, including face-to-face appointments, had "continued for all who needed them", and 24/7 crisis lines had been established. Over-65s are hospitalised more than 5,000 times a year in England because of self-harm and self-poisoning, figures obtained from NHS Digital show. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 June 2021
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Content ArticleSafety is a key concern in older adult care homes. However, it is a less developed concept in older adult care homes than in healthcare settings. As part of a study of the collection and application of safety data in the care home sector in England, a scoping review of the international literature was conducted by Rand et al. The findings indicate that there are a range of available safety measures used for quality monitoring and improvement in older adult care homes. These cover all five domains of safety in the Safety Measurement and Monitoring Framework. However, there are potential gaps. These include user experience, psychological harm related to the care home environment, abusive or neglectful care practice and the processes for integrated learning. Some of these gaps may relate to challenges and feasibility of measurement in the care home context.
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News Article
Care home staff COVID vaccination levels below target in more than half LAs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The vaccination rate for staff at older care homes is below the recommended level set by scientists in more than half of England’s local authorities, analysis of NHS England data has revealed. Data as of 18 April shows that 76 out of 149 LAs had not reached the 80% vaccination threshold for care home staff to provide a minimum level of protection against COVID-19, according to the PA news agency. In 17 areas, less than 70% of staff had received a first jab. Lambeth, where 23 cases of a South African COVID variant have been recently reported in a care home, had the lowest uptake at 52.4%. The government last week announced the launch of a five-week consultation on mandatory staff vaccination as a result of the failure in some areas to reach the designated threshold. Read full story Source: Care Home Professional. 23 April 2021 -
News ArticleCampaigners have started legal action against the government over guidance that bans care home residents in England aged 65 and over from taking trips outside the home. John's Campaign, of residents and their loved ones, says the ban is unlawful. They are also challenging the requirement for residents to self-isolate for 14 days after such visits. The government said its guidance provides a "range of opportunities" for visitors to spend time with loved ones. Nearly all residents have now had at least one dose of the vaccine, and care homes have been cautiously reopening, allowing indoor visits with designated family or friends. But the government guidance, updated on 8 March, says trips to see family or friends "should only be considered" for under-65s while national Covid restrictions apply because they increase the risk of bringing Covid into a home. Visits out for residents, whatever their age, "should be supported in exceptional circumstances such as a visit to a friend or relative at the end of their life", it adds - but on returning to the home, the resident must self-isolate for two weeks. The legal letter sent to the Department of Health and Social Care by John's Campaign says the decision whether someone can go on a visit outside a care home should be based on individual risk assessments. Read full story Source: BBC News, 2 April 2021
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Content ArticleAge UK's new report Digital inclusion and older people – how have things changed in a Covid-19 world? shows that while just under a quarter (24 per cent) of over-75s in England have increased their internet usage since the pandemic hit, this is mainly driven by existing users going online more often. Most older online users say their use has remained unchanged, with nearly one in 10 (9 per cent) actually using it less. The charity is calling for greater support for those who are offline and finding it increasingly difficult to access essential goods and services.
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Content ArticleThe positive deviance approach seeks to identify and learn from those who demonstrate exceptional performance. This study from Baxter et al. sought to explore how multidisciplinary teams deliver exceptionally safe care on medical wards for older people. Based on identifiable qualitative differences between the positively deviant and comparison wards, 14 characteristics were hypothesised to facilitate exceptionally safe care on medical wards for older people. This paper explores five positively deviant characteristics that healthcare professionals considered to be most salient. These included the relational aspects of teamworking, specifically regarding staff knowing one another and working together in truly integrated multidisciplinary teams. The cultural and social context of positively deviant wards was perceived to influence the way in which practical tools (eg, safety briefings and bedside boards) were implemented. This study exemplifies that there are no ‘silver bullets’ to achieving exceptionally safe patient care on medical wards for older people. Healthcare leaders should encourage truly integrated multidisciplinary ward teams where staff know each other well and work as a team. Focusing on these underpinning characteristics may facilitate exceptional performances across a broad range of safety outcomes.
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News Article
Collapse of social care could force more elderly people out of their own homes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Elderly and vulnerable people could be forced to move out of their own homes into institutional care unless the chancellor invests billions of pounds to shore up social services and reform England’s broken care model, The Independent has been told. In an exclusive interview ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Budget on Wednesday, James Bullion, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), warned the care system risked “catastrophic failure in some areas” without urgent changes to the way vulnerable people, including younger disabled people, are looked after. He warned the number of people needing care had doubled in some parts of the country since March, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Ministers are planning to bring forward reforms to social care later this year, but Mr Bullion, who leads social services in Norfolk, said the system needed at least £4bn over the next two years “just to keep the show on the road”. He warned the sector had been rocked by more than 30,000 deaths in care homes from Covid, with a 40% turnover in staff, higher sickness, and more than 100,000 vacancies on top of rising costs. “We’ve got social care providers who are very much more fragile and at risk than they were a year ago. We were able to pay premiums to providers to keep going, but we've now reached the point where the revenue consequences of the last year will come home to roost. And we're very worried about the impact on the social care market and whether it will still be there for us in a way that it’s been in the past year if we take that support away.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 1 March 2021 -
News ArticleWomen aged 70 or over are receiving substandard care to tackle ovarian cancer with one in five patients in their seventies getting no treatment whatsoever, a new study has found. A report from Ovarian Cancer Action revealed almost half of patients in their 70s do not undergo surgery to treat the disease, even though it provides the best long-term prognosis for one of the most common types of cancer in women. In total, around one in five (22%) of ovarian cancer patients aged 70 to 79 and three in five women with ovarian cancer who were over 80 years old were given no treatment for the disease. The inadequate healthcare given to older ovarian cancer patients causes a disproportionately high short term death rate for them, the study found. The study found older patients are substantially less likely to be referred by their GP for diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds when ovarian cancer symptoms surface. Dr Susana Banerjee, a consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said: “With an ageing population, many more patients with ovarian cancer are over the age of 70, so there is an urgent need to understand the best way to effectively treat older women." “Optimising patients for treatment through frailty assessments and interventions, sharing best practice across cancer centres and representing older patients in clinical trials are important steps towards ensuring equal access to effective and tolerable treatment that could help more women live beyond their diagnosis, with a good quality of life, no matter their age.”
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News Article
Poorer areas falling behind on vaccination against coronavirus
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is increasing efforts to reach out to ethnic minority communities in more deprived areas of England as analysis by The Independent shows poorer areas are vaccinating fewer at-risk people. Among the most deprived parts of the country, fewer people aged over 80 and in their mid-70s had received their first dose of vaccine against coronavirus by 7 February when compared with more affluent areas, sparking concerns communities most at risk are being left vulnerable. Comparing local NHS vaccination data with Public Health England’s deprivation scores for each NHS region reveals six of the most deprived parts of England were in the bottom 10 local areas for vaccine uptake among the over-80s and those aged over 75. The worst performing NHS region was East London, with just 73& cent of over-80s vaccinated by 7 February. East London was also one of the worst-affected areas during the second wave of the virus as hospitals became overwhelmed early on in the crisis. Dave Finch, a senior fellow at the Health Foundation, said: “Lower vaccine uptake in the most deprived areas is worrying as these areas have seen some of the very highest Covid-19 death rates. A higher likelihood of having poorer pre-existing health increases their risk of more severe symptoms if they do get the virus. And people living in poorer areas are increasingly showing signs of intense financial hardship as a result of lockdown measures." “The government must prioritise understanding why vaccine uptake has been lower in these areas and take urgent, targeted action to address this. However, in the longer term, there must be a focus on investing across the UK to address major health inequalities in order protect everyone’s health and wellbeing.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 February 2021 -
EventuntilThis Westminster Health Forum event discusses key priorities and next steps for improving older people’s care. The conference will be an opportunity to assess the management of care through the pandemic and the policy support required to tackle the critical challenges currently being faced around community support, integrated care, and managing and preventing long-term conditions. Areas for discussion include: progress on integrated care systems and on community care rollout of urgent rapid response teams and reducing the length of hospital admissions delivery of care during the COVID-19 crisis, and the vaccination programme digital remote management of long term conditions self-funding of older people’s care prevention, including weight management service tackling loneliness. Register
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News Article
Covid: Over-70s can contact NHS for vaccine in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People aged 70 or older in England who have not yet had their coronavirus vaccine but would like to are being asked to contact the NHS. A national booking system can be accessed online or people can call 119 free of change between 7am and 11pm. At a Downing Street news briefing, deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam urged people to get the vaccine "without delay". "Protect yourself against the clear and present danger," he said. He said the vaccines worked very well against the "immediate threat" of the Kent variant of coronavirus circulating in the UK. Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 February 2021 -
News Article
NHS COVID-19 jab letters 'confusing over-80s'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People waiting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine say they are confused by NHS letters inviting them to travel to centres miles away from their homes. The first 130,000 letters have been sent to people aged 80 or older who live about 30 to 45 minutes' drive away from one of seven new regional centres. But patients, many of whom are shielding, questioned why they had to travel so far in a pandemic. Local jabs are available to people if they wait, the NHS said. The seven centres include Ashton Gate in Bristol, Epsom racecourse in Surrey, London's Nightingale hospital, Newcastle's Centre for Life, the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, Robertson House in Stevenage and Birmingham's Millennium Point. Mary McGarry from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire told BBC News that her letter points to an NHS online booking page which suggests she would have to take her husband, who has cancer and a lung disease, 20 miles to Birmingham. "We're very reluctant to go into Birmingham city centre," she said. "If we can't get somebody to take us, we'd have to go on the train but we're shielding because my husband's got poor health.... we want to know why we've got to travel that far?" People will not miss out on their vaccination if they do not use the letters to make an appointment at one of the centres, the NHS said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 January 2021 -
News ArticleElderly people who suffer falls are having to wait up to six hours for an ambulance because of rising Covid pressures, a medical body has warned. The delays are due to paramedics having to prioritise 999 calls from people suffering from coronavirus related breathing difficulties. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 1 January 2021
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Content Article
COVID-19: COGER Study (30 November 2020)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Data, research and statistics
The COGER study is collecting data to gain insight into the course of functional and medical recovery in older people affected by COVID-19 participating in rehabilitation across Europe. -
Content ArticleThe objective of this study was to to report the frequency of adverse events (AEs) that occurred during the months when SARS-CoV-2 spreading rate was at its highest in the Italian nursing homes, and to identify which conditions and attributes were most associated with the occurrence of AEs. Authors note that future recommendations for the management and care of residents in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic should include specific statements for the most vulnerable populations, such as people with dementia. This research paper can be viewed in full via the link below to the Frontiers in Psychiatry website.
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News Article
Older women ‘less likely’ to be offered ovarian cancer treatment
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Older women could be less likely to receive ovarian cancer treatment. A new report analysed data from more than 17,000 cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed across England between 2016 and 2018. Three in five (60%) of women with ovarian cancer over the age of 79 did not receive either chemotherapy or surgery, while 37% of women over the age of 70 did not receive any treatment. The nature of ovarian cancer means surgery is essential in the large majority of cases to remove the tumour. The researchers cautioned that with an ageing population it is vital that women of all ages have access to the best possible treatments. Researchers also examined the various rates of treatments for ovarian cancer among women in different parts of England. They found the probability of receiving any treatment fell below the average in the East Midlands, the East of England, Greater Manchester and Kent and Medway. The report was jointly funded by The British Gynaecological Cancer Society, Ovarian Cancer Action, Target Ovarian Cancer and delivered by analysts at the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. Commenting on the report, Cary Wakefield, chief executive of Ovarian Cancer Action, said: "Neither your age nor location should decide your chance of survival if you are diagnosed with ovarian cancer." "Our audit is the first step in addressing the health inequalities women across England face, so we can begin to dismantle them." Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 November 2020
