New patient safety initiative launched at Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury District Hospitals

The new service launches today (Monday, January 29), and is available across all of the trust’s adult wards, at Pinderfields Hospital, Pontefract Hospital and Dewsbury and District Hospital.

The service, named Call 4 Concern, 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.”

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.