50 Day Challenge

Positive change in the NHS can happen quickly. That’s the outcome of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (EPUT) 50 Day Challenge initiative.

The 50 Day Challenge brought together mental and physical health teams at St Margaret’s Hospital to ensure patients can be treated more quickly in the community or within the mental health wards.

This joined up service provided by EPUT is good for patients as it saves time, speeds up treatment and is an efficient way of providing care. It has improved the patient experience as they are treated in one setting rather than endure the stress of being moved about.

The 50 Day Challenge is reducing the length of time patients spend in hospital and avoiding unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals or A&E.

The project was set up to find out how much change can be achieved in 50 days.

56 patients have had treatment in the community or mental health wards avoiding transfer to A&E.

Fewer patients from mental health wards are now admitted to A&E or the acute hospital as their physical health needs are being met in the community or within the mental health wards at St Margaret’s Hospital.

The teams are made up of psychiatrists, nurses, speciality doctors, a consultant geriatrician and other healthcare professionals. So far they have treated the following conditions:

• Chest infections
• Urine infections
• Dehydration
• Diabetes/insulin adjustment
• Catheter care

The teams won the EPUT Quality Awards for Effective Care in the Trust’s staff recognition awards earlier this year.

Malcolm McCann, Executive Director of Community Services and Partnerships at EPUT said: “The 50 Day Challenge has continued well beyond 50 days as it has proved to be so successful in improving patient care. It’s a much more efficient way to work, bringing together expertise from both mental and physical health care for the benefit of our patients. The teams work very closely together and this can only be a good thing for our patients. As a result, patients are kept out of A&E and the acute hospital unless absolutely necessary. This initiative is making a really big difference to patient care and we are looking at rolling this out in other areas of the Trust.”