Pages
World Arthritis Day - 12 October 22
The theme this year is - 'It's in your hands, take action'. It aims to encourage people with arthritis, their caregivers, families, and the general public to avail every opportunity to take action to improve their lifestyle.
https://dchs.nhs.uk/my_dchs/show-me/staff-news-my-download/world-arthritis-day-12-october-22
Infection prevention & control
https://dchs.nhs.uk/about-us/quality-heart-our-care/infection-prevention-and-control
Celebrating International Mother Language Day
https://dchs.nhs.uk/news/celebrating-international-mother-language-day
Continence services
https://dchs.nhs.uk/our-services-and-locations/a-z-list-of-services/adult-services
Patient Safety
Patient Safety is the freedom from harm in healthcare and is a process by which an organisation makes patient care safer.
https://dchs.nhs.uk/about-us/quality-heart-our-care/patient-safety
Files
Opportunistic Maggots Guidance (G274)
Every year during the hot weather we experience an increase in patients with opportunistic maggots in the community. This guidance is to aid assessment and management of these patients.
Disclosure Ref 202483 - IT Infrastructure.pdf
FOI disclosure regarding IT Infrastructure for desktop management, data centre, server management, networking and IT security
Clinical Effectiveness Policy (P85)
The purpose of this policy is to set out the rationale for clinical audit and provide a framework for such activity, including standards, guidance and procedures, as well as details of the support available from the Clinical Effectiveness Team: • For registering and approving clinical audit project proposals • For developing and designing clinical audit projects • To ensure clinical audit leads to improvement when a need for improvement is identified This policy aims to support a culture of best practice in the management and delivery of clinical audit, to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all staff involved, and to promote a culture of quality improvement in our services.
Information Governance Handbook v1 2023 09.pdf
A handy Information Governance handbook giving a quick-access guide covering key topics like data protection, cyber security, IG training, phishing awareness, incident reporting, SARs, FOIs, and records management. Includes links to policies and resources
Long Term Segregation Policy (P86)
This policy aims to provide clear guidance on the use of long term segregation, (please note the use of seclusion is covered in DCHS trust policy – (Management, Prevention and reduction of violence and aggression including physical restraint and seclusion). To ensure restrictive interventions remain proportionate, least restrictive, take account of patient preference where possible, and last for no longer than is necessary. The policy sets clinical standards to ensure compliance with the Mental Health Act 1983 and subsequent Code of Practice 2015 alongside NICE guidance NG10. To ensure robust governance arrangements that are transparent in their nature. To support the trusts ambition of reducing the use of restrictive practices. The policy aims to ensure the specific needs of all patients are met in a fair and equitable way.
UTC Acute Wound Care Formulary (G99)
A comprehensive evidence‐based approach to acute wound management is an essential skill set for any Emergency Clinician or Urgent Care Practitioner and this adapted version of the DCHS wound care formulary has been devised to help facilitate this. The Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) acute wound care formulary is designed to provide Clinicians with a comprehensive guide to wound dressing products and closure within this speciality. These products were originally selected using the Derbyshire Community Dressing Formulary and Wound Care Guidelines 2018 in version 1 and have been updated in conjunction with the updated version of this for 2022 and the East Midlands Tissue Viability Group
Recognition of Patient Deterioration (Adults) Policy (P83)
The aim of this policy is to set the minimum standard and frequency for monitoring and recording adult patients’ vital signs in their own home, Minor Injuries Units, outpatient podiatric surgery and community hospital wards. The mismanagement of deterioration is a common area of systemic failure in avoidable patient death across the NHS (NHS Improvement, 2016, Hogan et al, 2012) and poor communication is a leading cause of adverse events in healthcare. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) offers a common language to describe and communicate a patient’s acute illness severity by all healthcare professionals in all settings and is central to establishing a national pathway for improving the management of deterioration and sepsis (Inada-Kim and Nsutebu, 2018). This policy aims to increase survival among acutely unwell and deteriorating patients
Requesting and Managing Pathology Results within DCHS Community Hospital Wards SOP (S98)
The purpose of this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to outline the steps required to effectively manage the requesting, receiving, filing and actioning of all pathology results by either an electronic process or by a relevant paper-based system. Utilising an electronic system (such as ICE) enables pathology requests to be requested, reviewed and actioned electronically via the electronic patient record within TPP SystmOne. There are an estimated 1.12 billion pathology tests undertaken each year in England (NHS England, 2020) It is imperative a record of all pathology samples is accurately maintained to avoid patient harm and improve patient outcomes (WHO, 2021). The Care Quality Commission (2021) inspects the management of test results to ensure processes are robust, practice is safe and care is effective.
SOP for DCHS Foot Dressing Clinic (S149)
The DCHS Foot Dressing Clinic Standard Operating Procedure has been developed to support the administration of the clinics and the staff to facilitate equitable, safe, and effective management of all patients coming into this service.
Administration of Insulin Injection Policy and Standard Operating Procedure (P4)
There are a growing number of people who, because of disability, increasing age or infirmity, are unable to administer their own insulin and will need support. This guideline aims to promote standardisation and safety of insulin administration within Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS NHS FT). This document aligns with the Professional Guidance on the Administration of Medicines in Healthcare Settings (Royal Pharmaceutical Society 2019). Patient centred care based upon different ways of working underpins this policy and procedure as identified within the NHS Plan (DH 2000), the NSF for Older People (DH 2001), Making a Difference (DH 2001) and the NSF for Diabetes (DH 2002). UK Injection technique Recommendations have been considered alongside the need to consider safer sharps for staff (Forum for Injection Technique 2016). Underpinning the guidance are the most recent NICE and Derbyshire guidance for the management of diabetes (Joint Area Prescribing Committee 2018 NICE 2015) and National Patient Safety Alert (NPSA), ‘Risk of severe harm and death due to withdrawing insulin from pen devices,’ 16 November 2016.