NURSES at Grimsby's hospital will pilot a scheme of checking every patient every hour of the day.
It is one of a raft of measures being introduced at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital after the trust which manages it was ranked fifth worst in the country for its death rates.
Bosses say the organisation is now ranked 18th, and that staff have "bent over backwards" to bring it out of the category which meant it had to be monitored.
As reported, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was placed into special measures by the Government – meaning it has been under intense scrutiny – since its standards of care were criticised by the Keogh review, including higher-than-average death rates.
Acting medical director Professor Carrock Sewell said: "Making changes is not a quick process, but improvements are already being seen in all areas.
"We have piloted a number of new ways of working which are now being rolled out across the trust.
"One of the changes we have made in the last 12 months has been to take more time to reflect upon the treatment given to anyway who has died.
"If any 'triggers' are highlighted when a doctor or nurse looks back through the files, it is investigated by a senior member of staff.
"Every month we look for any recurring themes and communicate them to every doctor and nurse so that we can all learn from them."
Other changes have included the development of software to monitor patients' observations, such as blood pressure, temperature and pulse.
Staff use the observations to grade patients on the National Early Warning Skills (News) system, which alerts them to a deteriorating condition.
Prof Sewell said: "The Keogh team were very impressed with the system because it is fully electronic.
"Each nursing station displays each patients' News score on a flatscreen TV and patients' details will flash as red if their score indicates they are at risk."
Other improvements include:
Placing red, grippy bed socks on patients who are prone to falls to alert staff that they need extra assistance.
Introducing a new medicines management system.
Monitoring pressure/bed sores more diligently.
Improving staffing levels and the skills mix in each department.
Ongoing recruitment of nurses.
Training all nurses on monitoring patient observations and using the News system.
Streamlining the admissions process and treatment for emergency patients.
Specialist groups looking into the top 10 conditions that lead to patient deaths, such as septicaemia, pneumonia and bronchitis.
Prof Sewell added: "In Grimsby, the nurses came to us with the idea of checking on every patient every hour, so we are going to pilot it.
"Instead of the patients having to use their call bells, it is more likely that their needs will already have been tended to.
"If a patient isn't in their bed for whatever reason, whether they've gone to the bathroom or for a walk, the nurses will leave a note on their bed letting them know they called."
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