New patient safety initiative launched at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

A new service for inpatients and their families to raise concerns if they feel their condition is deteriorating has been launched at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust.

Launching today (Monday 29January), Call 4 Concern is available at all of the Trust’s three hospitals. The service enables adult inpatients and their friends or families to raise concerns via a dedicated telephone line, if they feel their condition, or that of a loved one, is worsening.

Any concerns should always be raised with the team caring for the patient on the ward in the first instance.

The Trust’s Deteriorating Adult Response Team (DART) will handle the call and review 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.

A note of the Call 4 Concern intervention will then be logged in the patients’ notes summarising the concern raised and any actions taken.

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and includes all adult inpatients on a ward, excluding the Emergency Department and Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC).

Associate Medical Director Dr Matthew Tinker said:

The earlier we recognise when patients are becoming more unwell, the better their outcomes can be. We know that sometimes family members may be the first to notice subtle changes in their loved ones’ condition or know when something just isn’t quite right.

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.

Call 4 Concern will provide an additional level of reassurance for patients and their loved ones and further highlights our commitment to providing safe and compassionate care.

Call 4 Concern 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