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Belper’s new health centre takes shape! - April 2025
https://dchs.nhs.uk/news/belpers-new-health-centre-takes-shape-april-2025
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Guidelines for Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment - Adapted Waterlow Score (G89)
The purpose of this Standard Operation Procedure is to set out the process to be followed to ensure a consistent approach is followed for the assessment of patient’s risks of developing pressure ulcers.
Clinical Record Keeping Policy and Standards (P6)
This policy aims to ensure that the clinical records made by staff are fit for purpose and of a quality that provide for objective, accurate, current and comprehensive information that supports and enables the best clinical care and treatment for the patient/client. This policy has incorporated a range of best practice and related legislative requirements to outline the organisations expectations for clinical record keeping standards, both on paper and electronically. The policy provides support to the organisation in meeting its statutory and legal obligations as laid down by the Records Management: NHS Code of Practice 2016; Data Protection Act 1998 section 7, General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and relevant professional bodies. The policy also identifies the standards expected of all registered and non-registered staff. It sets a minimum standard, which will be applicable to all patient settings, including community clinics and inpatient areas. This policy does not replace standards set by professional organisations, but is complementary to them and should be used in conjunction with them.
Medical Devices Policy (P27)
The aim of this document is to outline a standardised approach to purchasing, deployment, maintenance, repair and disposal of medical devices within the Trust and the services commissioned by the Trust. The purpose of this policy is to provide the means of ensuring that all acquisitions of items of medical equipment are made only after consideration and approval by the relevant management groups and in accordance with the procedures detailed within this policy and with all related DCHS policies, European Union (EU) public procurement rules, advice from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and statutory requirements.
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
The Management of Warfarin Therapy for Inpatients Guidelines (G233)
The aim of this guideline is to improve the safety of anticoagulant therapy for inpatients under the care of DCHS by: • Providing an evidence-based algorithm for the initiation of warfarin therapy in atrial fibrillation, including the use of a specific SystmOne template for warfarin management. • Offering an evidence-based algorithm to guide maintenance dosing decisions. • Clarifying the process for communicating follow-up arrangements to primary care teams when a patient is discharged from hospital. • Endorsing the level of competence and training required of clinicians who prescribe warfarin. • Ensuring that the guidance will be built into an audit and review cycle.
Section 5.28 COVID-19 (IP&C Policy)
Section 5.28 COVID-19 (IP& C Policy) v2 (September 2022). With links. The aim of this document is to provide operational guidance to staff in particular in relation to COVID-19.
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
Clinical Harms Review Additional detail for Service Level SOP (S133)
This document should be read in conjunction with the overarching DCHS Standard Operating procedure on Clinical Harms which outlines the processes to be followed to deliver a consistent approach to. • Risk stratification to minimise clinical harm as a result of delays in care. • Embedding systems which take into account health inequalities. • Monitoring waiting times against defined thresholds across pathways of care. • Delivering personalised, patient-centred communications to patients who are waiting for care. • Implementing Harm Reviews that support the Trusts governance and assurance processes and maintains practice in line with national expectations. The intention of the service level document is to provide specific detail on. • The risk stratification process in operation and clinically appropriate to specific service lines and patient cohorts • Waiting time thresholds for the relevant patient pathways
S146 - Infant Feeding Specialists SOP
This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) gives an overview of the service provided by Infant Feeding Specialists (IFS). It also supports a commitment to ensure evidence-based tools and training are embedded within practice, supporting the local commissioning for outcomes recommendations, and offering assurance that the service is focused on personalised and needs based care. This Standard Operating Procedure should be used in conjunction with other DCHS Childrens and DCHS Trust policies along with UNICEF Baby Friendly standards.
Disclosure Ref 202528 - Quality assurance software systems, used by nursing teams for auditing and accreditation .pdf
Disclosure to freedom of information request regarding quality assurance software systems, used by nursing teams for auditing and accreditation across the NHS. The examples of the audits would be - safeguarding audits, falls audits, medicines, hand hygiene audits or ward accreditation