26.04.18
Trusts urged to adopt NEWS2 after 100 deaths last year
A resource alert has been issued by NHS England, NHS Improvement and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to support health providers to adopt the revised National Early Warning Score (NEWS2).
NEWS2 helps clinical staff to detect deterioration in adult patients, using observations such as blood pressure, respiratory rates and conscious level.
The alert highlights the existing resources to support hospitals in adopting the scoring system and comes after the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) received 100 reports of patients whose deterioration may not have been recognised or acted on and who subsequently died in 2017.
Although it cannot be not known whether these patients would have survived with prompt action, the care provided did not give them the best possible chance of survival.
NHS Improvement has warned that failure to recognise or act on signs that a patient is deteriorating is a ket patient safety issue that can result in missed opportunities to provide care that will give the best possible chance of survival.
NEWS2 was published by the RCP in December 2017 and NHS England aim for all acute hospital trusts to adopt the system for adult patients by March 2019.
Professor Bryan Williams, chair of the RCP’s NEWS development group, welcomed the safety alert and said: “I am delighted that a new network of NEWS2 champions is being established to share good practice and facilitate the implementation of NEWS2 in all hospitals in England.
“This is a big step towards improving patient safety and outcomes in our hospitals.”
Some hospitals are using innovative technology to help staff to recognise signs that a patient is deteriorating, resulting in a reduction in cardiac arrests and quicker sepsis treatment.
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has seen a 46% reduction in cardiac arrests since introducing bedside ‘e-observations’, which allows early identification of deteriorating patients and faster intervention.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London is implementing an e-observation system that connects directly to the trust’s electronic patient record (EPR) system and can reduce the time required to input observations by up to 50%, improve patient safety and reduce error.
Once the system is completely rolled out, its is hoped that 20,000 hours of nurses’ time will be released each year to instead be devoted to direct patient care.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a new alerts feature within its EPR system to ensure that patients with sepsis are identified, with alerts that guide the actions and tests needed to help fast diagnosis and treatment.
This has led to a 70% increase in the proportion of patients diagnosed with sepsis receiving antibiotics within the recommended one hour timeframe in A&E and a 50% increase across adult input areas.
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