Call4Concern providing ‘confidence and reassurance’ for families of sick patients | News

The families of sick patients have praised a ‘brilliant’ service that gives them the opportunity to raise concerns if they feel their loved-one’s condition is deteriorating.

Since launching in January this year, 27 families have used Call4Concern – a dedicated phone line for adult inpatients and their friends or families if they feel their condition, or that of a loved one, is worsening.

The Trust’s Deteriorating Adult Response Team (DART) manages the call and reviews what to do next. This may include an assessment of the patient, working alongside the medical team, or they may refer the concern to another health professional. 

Laura Midwood, DART lead practitioner, said: “Call4Concern is a patient safety initiative which provides an extra layer of vigilance for deteriorating patients.

“We know that friends and relatives can often recognise the ‘soft signs’ of deterioration in their loved one before it becomes apparent to staff. Spotting those signs early means we can review at risk patients at the earliest opportunity with the aim to prevent continued clinical deterioration.”

“The feedback from patients and families who have used the service has been fantastic, with many saying it provided additional reassurance and confidence that their loved ones were receiving the right care.”

Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust is one of 100 pilot sites across England and Wales using the system. It was developed as part of Martha’s Rule, to give families access to an urgent review of care if they are concerned about their condition getting worse. Martha Mills died in 2021 after developing sepsis in a London hospital. She had been admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling off her bike. 

Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to promptly and in 2023 a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust Associate Medical Director Dr Matthew Tinker added: “Patient safety is one of our main priorities here at MYTT, and we already have a number of robust systems in place to detect and respond quickly when a patient deteriorates during a stay in hospital.

“Call4Concern is an important additional tool to enable us to ensure that a decline in any patient is identified at the earliest opportunity.”

Call4Concern is available for all adult wards, at Pinderfields Hospital, Pontefract Hospital and Dewsbury & District Hospital. Patients, family, and friends who still have concerns about their own, or their loved one’s condition after already raising it with the nurse or doctor in charge, can call the service on 01924 541680.

Call 4 Concern is a patient safety initiative for worsening patient conditions. To report other concerns such as food, nursing care, discharge issues, or car parking, please speak to the ward staff. You can also contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) if you feel your concerns have not been addressed. The PALS team can be contacted on 01924 542972 or email myh-tr.palsmidyorks@nhs.net