New team at Morecambe Bay hospitals is a safety net for extremely sick patients

Members of the CCOT are excited to be part of this new service, which aims to enhance care for patients, support staff on hospital wards, help relieve pressure on hospital teams, enable training and upskilling of colleagues and support families and carers.

Bernadette Hope, Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Critical Care and Surgery Care Group at UHMBT, said: “This is a completely new service and it is wonderful news that the Trust has made this investment in patient care. We are a safety net for our extremely sick patients – it’s all about the patients!

“Our role is to recognise and respond to clinically unwell patients whose condition is deteriorating or at risk of deterioration. The main benefits are early detection and treatment of acute illness, better outcomes for patients, reduced length of stay for patients and getting people treated in the right place with the right levels of care.

“We support clinical staff at the patient’s bedside. We also have an educational role so we can provide training and upskilling for colleagues. In addition to this, we support patients, families and carers at the bedside with information and advice.”

When it is fully up and running, the new service will run from 7.30am to 8.30pm, seven days per week, including bank holidays.

The team, which is part of the Critical Care and Surgery Care Group, has 12 members of nursing staff and is led by Dr Rachel Markham, Consultant in Anaesthetics and Critical Care, and overseen by Helen Irving, Cross Bay Matron for Critical Care and Surgery.

The team uses the Deteriorating Patient Alert System (DPAS) to identify the most unwell patients at FGH and the RLI. The highly advanced DPAS system was developed by UHMBT and was a finalist in the Nursing Times Awards 2022.

Bernadette said: “Families appreciate our input. We make sure that patients, families and carers understand what is happening and what the plans are.

“We are aiming to have a seven-day service across FGH and the RLI by the end of October. It’s very exciting and great news for patients and colleagues that the trust is investing in this valuable service.”