Hospital bans flowers for patients (From Echo)

Hospital bans flowers for patients

6:38am Tuesday 17th June 2008 in News

SOUTHEND Hospital is banning flowers from patients' bedsides to improve safety.

Staff at the hospital will stop visitors bringing flowers to loved ones during a one-month trial starting on July 7.

The ban is being introduced because the hospital believes flowers could pose a safety hazard with all the hi-tech medical equipment around beds.

Florists have been told about the trial and hospital shops will no longer sell bouquets.

The move forms part of the new NHS patient safety campaign starting next month.

The hospital is also launching its new Shipshape campaign on Thursday, focussing on tidiness and cleanliness and encouraging staff, visitors and patients to report anything that needs fixing or cleaning.

In addition to a 31-point action plan introducing additional measures to combat infection, other projects include:

• A daily inspection of all wards by modern matrons to check commodes have been thoroughly cleaned, all patients have been assessed for the risk of MRSA, all surgical patients have been tested for MRSA, the resuscitation trolleys are properly stocked and there are enough staff on duty.

• Contacting GPs to check patients' full list of usual medication when they are admitted.

• A track and trigger system in which nursing staff check patients for any deterioration in heart rate, blood pressure, urine output, breathing or level of consciousness. Staff then get a doctor to the bedside within 20 minutes to decide whether or not it is appropriate to transfer the patient to the intensive care unit.

John Gilham, the hospital's chief executive, said: "At Southend Hospital we are totally committed to the safety of patients in our care.

"We are constantly introducing new ways of ensuring the hospital environment is as risk-free and reassuring as it possibly can be."