Media Release
Date: 22 August 2016
RUH is awarded Quality Mark for high standards of care for elderly patients
Two wards which care for elderly patients at Bath's Royal United Hospital have been awarded the Elder Friendly Quality Mark in recognition of the quality of care provided to patients.
The Quality Mark is run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and is a quality-improvement programme for individual wards which promotes and recognises excellence in the care of older people on general hospital wards. Helen Blanchard, Director of Nursing & Midwifery, RUH said:
"Achieving the Quality Mark for Midford and Waterhouse Ward is great recognition of the work we do to support elderly patients in hospital and I'm very proud of the staff for achieving this accolade. Only 32 wards in the UK have the Elder Friendly Quality Mark and three of them are held here at this hospital; Combe Ward was awarded with the Quality Mark last year, so we are delighted.
"Last year, we further improved Waterhouse Ward to meet the specific needs of our elderly patients, particularly patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia. This ward has a more homely and welcoming environment which helps puts patients and carers at ease."
To demonstrate the continued focus on improving care for older patients, staff took part in assessments which looked at the quality of care provided. Patients over the age of 65 were asked about the care they received, including their experiences of comfort, food and drink, support from staff, getting help when needed, and privacy and dignity. They were also asked if they would be happy if a friend or family member was cared for on the wards.
Professor Mike Crawford, Director of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Centre for Quality Improvement, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
"It's great to see wards achieving the Quality Mark by improving the care they provide based on feedback from older patients. Wards participating in the programme send an important message about the way they regard patient experience."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Quality Mark is run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and was developed in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Nursing, British Geriatrics Society and Age UK. To find out more about the Quality Mark visit:
The Quality Mark for Elder Friendly Hospital Wards was established in Autumn 2012, with 111 wards participating to date. The hospital wards have focussed on the quality of essential care of patients aged 65 and above. The patient questionnaire measures satisfaction expressed by older patients with a series of quality statements about essential care on the ward and is not standards-based.