The ‘Red Bag’ Project

A high proportion of admissions and readmissions to hospitals are from residents in care homes. Care homes in South London have expressed a need for better information sharing and communication during transfer of care. Specifically changes to medication and care pathways post discharge were identified as areas for improvement. Similarly, ambulance and hospital staff highlight gaps in information about existing medical conditions and medication as impacting on good care during transfer and admission to hospital. The HIN has identified a pure spread and adoption opportunity to spread the Sutton Vanguard’s successful ‘Red Bag’ initiative to other South London Boroughs.

The “Red Bag*” is a simple initiative to help care home residents when they need to go to hospital in an emergency. The bag stays with the resident throughout their stay in hospital and contains:

• Standardised information about the resident’s general health, any existing medical conditions and medication they are taking, as well as highlighting the current health concern which is easily accessible to ambulance and hospital staff. Includes ‘This is me’ document for dementia residents
• Personal belongings (such as clothes for day of discharge, glasses, hearing aid, dentures etc.)
• A copy of their discharge summary (which details every aspect of the care they received in hospital) so that care home staff understand what has happened in hospital and changes to medication.

* developed in partnership with Epsom and St Helier Hospital Trust, Sutton and Merton Community Services, London Ambulance Service and staff from Sutton

To understand the process involved in implementing this pathway, the HIN have developed an implementation guide and NHS England have published a ‘Quick Guide: Hospital Transfer Pathway – Red Bag’.

The final evaluation report of the Hospital Transfer ‘Red Bag’ Pathway in South London can be downloaded below.