Member Article

Is this the end of Doctor who?

A recent report has stated hospital patients in the UK should be provided with the name of the senior doctor responsible for their care without being made to ask.

The advice, given by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, states the details of the senior doctor and nurse responsible for their care should be presented clearly over the patient’s bed.

This advice follows on from the Francis Report into failings at Stafford Hospital, in which Robert Francis QC found staff visibility levels were not high enough. “Productive personal interaction requires knowledge of staff names and their post and seniority. While identity badges are nearly universal in hospitals, legibility and visibility are not,” he says.

With the latest NHS statistics showing over 135,900 hospital beds in the UK, the scale of this operation is vast. Sue Naidoo, associate director of patient safety at North Middlesex University Hospital, believes it’s vital patients are made to feel as confident in their clinicians as possible.

“Time in hospital is one of the most difficult periods both patients and their relatives will go through and it is key they have complete confidence in the clinicians responsible for their care. This isn’t possible if they are unsure who their doctor is. Ensuring patients and family members know each member of the team and their seniority offers total transparency during their time in hospital, which in turn increases confidence levels.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand the difficulties patients have when they are unsure who their doctor is and the frustration their loved ones are faced with when they feel they are being shut out by a system which should be helping them. Hospitals can be a very lonely place and something as simple as knowing who their clinicians are can resolve this issue.”

To combat this problem, a UK firm has developed the Patient Hotpocket, a display panel which clearly provides patients with the name of their clinician and care team above their bed.

Michael Ward-Hendry, founder and managing director of Hotboard, says, “Patient confidence should be at the forefront of the UK healthcare agenda and knowing who their clinician is during their time in hospital plays a big part in this.

“Having spoken to many of our friends in the NHS across the country, we saw there was an opportunity to work together to provide a display board which ensures patients and their loved ones will never be in doubt of who their clinicians are.

“The Patient Hotpocket is fully produced in the UK and its acrylic surface is very easy to write on so staff information can be updated quickly, while images can also be included so doctors are easily recognisable. Together with frequent contact between patients and the clinicians, this will work to increase their confidence in the healthcare system while meeting the Academy of Royal College’s guidelines.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hotboard .