All Health Innovation Network patient safety teams are working with NHS England / NHS Improvement on COVID-19-related support.
We’re offering resources and support regionally to help those working in care homes, primary care and pharmacy in their response to COVID-19.
Find out about our support for the COVID Oximetry @Home and COVID virtual ward programmes >
Care Homes
RESTORE2 training and resources for deterioration and escalation
RESTORE2 is a physical deterioration and escalation tool for care/nursing homes.
It is designed to support homes and health professionals to:
- Recognise when a resident may be deteriorating or at risk of physical deterioration;
- Act appropriately according to the resident’s care plan to protect and manage the resident;
- Obtain a complete set of physical observations to inform escalation and conversations with health professionals;
- Speak with the most appropriate health professional in a timely way to get the right support;
- Provide a concise escalation history to health professionals to support their professional decision making.
The Patient Safety Collaborative for the North West Coast is rolling out RESTORE2 across all residential, nursing and specialist care settings in the region. Care organisations are able to take part in online RESTORE2 training sessions and receive resources such as handbooks and observation charts free of charge.
New online video training launched for care home staff
Wessex and the West of England Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), funded by Health Education England, have collaborated to produce a series of free videos and e-learning materials to support staff working in care homes to care for residents who are at risk of deterioration.
The films are available to watch on YouTube here.
For advice and support on implementing RESTORE2, contact:
Katie Whittle
Original pack medications
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, community pharmacies are becoming overwhelmed. As a result, you may now receive medicines for your care home residents in original packs, rather than blister packs.
To ensure you are aware of how to safely administer medicines this way, it is essential that all staff who administer medicines have read and understood this information sheet.
For advice and support with original pack medications, contact:
Katie Whittle
Primary Care
National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) for the identification and management of deterioration
The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) supports the identification and management of the deteriorating patient. NEWS and the updated version NEWS2 were developed by the Royal College of Physicians. If GPs use NEWS2 as a common language we can support our colleagues in deciding where patients should be seen, by whom and with what level of urgency.
For advice and support on implementing NEWS2, contact:
Andrew Cooper
PRIMIS targeted searches to help prevent avoidable hospital admissions
PRIMIS has developed some clinical system searches to help practices identify patients who may be at increased risk of hospital admission. At this time of unprecedented demand on NHS services, it is more important than ever that patients with long term conditions (or taking multiple medications) are helped to sustain their own health and any pre-emptive action is taken in order to avoid deterioration that could result in emergency admission.
Searches are available for both EMIS Web and TPP SystmOne and can be found on the PRIMIS targeted system searches webpage. They can be downloaded and imported into your GP clinical system FREE OF CHARGE without the need to register or log into PRIMIS Hub.
Pharmacies
The following are useful resources for pharmacists:
- Training guide on the use of the electronic prescription service (EPS)
- Fast-track preparation of injectable medicine: This is a competency-based training package for use by technicians and pharmacists during Covid-19 in the preparation of intravenous, subcutaneous, intramuscular, bolus and infused medicines.
- Safe administration of medicines from original packs in domiciliary care: guidance for nursing and residential homes.
- PrescQIPP e-learning package: E-learning package for domiciliary care staff in nursing and residential homes for PrescQIPP, the NHS-funded organisation that supports optimised prescribing.
- Round-up of information to support end-of-life care in the community
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society ethical framework: Royal Pharmaceutical Society guidance on ethical, professional decision-making in the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Electronic repeat dispensing handbook: Electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) has many benefits. eRD reduces footfall to the GP practice, and so supports social distancing, reduces workload for prescribers and reduces the number of medicines that are unavailable in the community pharmacy.
For further details contact:
Katie Whittle
Tracheostomy safety
We are offering support in dealing with the expected rise in numbers of tracheostomies and the discharge of patients from ICUs to wards with a tracheostomy. The focus will be on ward level care and transitions into community settings and includes bedhead signage; a tracheostomy daily care bundle; and emergency equipment.
A tracheostomy toolkit for healthcare staff has been published by the National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) in collaboration with the AHSN Network and the National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes.
The toolkit and other detailed guidance and resources for healthcare staff in caring for patients with tracheostomies can be found on the website of the National Tracheostomy Safety Project, a quality improvement collaborative that aims to improve tracheostomy care and safety.