campaign communications pack - 1000 lives plus

1000 Lives Plus S.T.O.P. Campaign Pack of 16

Campaign Communications Pack

This pack supports the 1000 Lives Plus‟ Reducing

Healthcare Associated Infections programme area

and has been created for teams taking forward this

work and the communications team within their

organisations.

All the resources can be found online at:

www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/STOP

http://www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/STOP


Contents

Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

Improving care through reducing the use

of cannulas and catheters ... ... ... 4

What‟s in this pack? ... ... ... ... ... ... 6

Using the resources in this pack? ... ... ... ... 7

Appendices:

A – The S.T.O.P. Communications Checklist ... 10

B – News item for internal communications ... 11

C - Photos ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12

D - Press Release ... ... ... ... ... ... 13

E - Re-Order Form ... ... ... ... ... 15

Your feedback is important We would be grateful for your feedback on this campaign and the resources which have been produced to support it. Your feedback will inform the development of future campaigns and ensure the material produced is appropriate. Please could you send your comments to [email protected] 1000 Lives Plus – Improving care, delivering quality 1000 Lives Plus is the national improvement programme, supporting organisations and individuals to deliver the highest quality and safest healthcare for the people of Wales. www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk The communication resources for this campaign have been made possible through the support of the Health Foundation. www.health.org.uk

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/

http://www.health.org.uk/


Did you know? Urinary tract infections are

the third commonest healthcare-associated infections in Wales, and account for 16% of all healthcare-associated infections.

Audits have shown that up to 7.3% of patients with a PVC have had an infection as a result.

Research shows that using just a very simple „Stop‟ order can reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections by over 50%.

From The How to Guide for

„Reducing Healthcare Associated

Infections: Appropriate and timely

use of invasive devices‟.

Introduction

S.T.O.P. is a new campaign to reduce the unnecessary use of peripheral venous cannulas (PVCs) and urinary catheters in NHS Wales and wider community-based care. Patients with these devices are at risk of infection if the devices aren‟t applied or maintained correctly. It supports the 1000 Lives Plus‟ Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections programme area and has been created for teams taking forward this work and the communications team within their organisations. Frontline staff are being asked to S.T.O.P. and assess whether the patient they are caring for needs a device and if one is in place to question whether it‟s still needed and can be removed. S.T.O.P. prompts staff to:

Stop and ask if the device is really needed?

Think and give the necessary attention to detail, including clinical indicators for use.

Consider Options and whether there are alternatives.

And Prevent healthcare associated infections by ensuring the use and maintenance of invasive devices are as safe as possible.

The S.T.O.P. campaign has been produced with input from the Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections steering group, mini-collaborative, as well as communications officers from organisations across Wales. The posters and other resources will help you:

o To quickly raise the profile of the issue with colleagues;

o Support and encourage frontline staff to S.T.O.P. and consider whether PVCs or urinary catheters are needed - and to remove them as soon as they are no longer necessary.


Improving care through reducing use of cannulas and catheters

Dr Eleri Davies, Director of the Welsh Healthcare Associated

Infections Programme and a member of the 1000 Lives Plus

Faculty, explains why this work and campaign is so

important.

The use of devices like urinary catheters and intra-venous

cannulas are often an important part of treatment for many

patients.

An urinary catheter is a small tube often inserted into a patient‟s bladder to

relieve them of urine following an operation or during an illness. Intra-venous

cannulas are inserted into the vein to allow intravenous medicines and fluids to be

given.

Unfortunately, both devices carry a small risk of infection because they can allow

bacteria into the body.

Reducing risk of infection

That‟s why the work currently being carried out by NHS Wales staff across health

boards to improve the use of these devices, and reduce numbers being used, is so

important. It will ensure we are doing all we can to reduce the risk of infection to

patients.

It has been introduced by 1000 Lives Plus, the national programme which is

supporting organisations and individuals to deliver the highest quality and safest

healthcare for the people of Wales.

I am fully behind this work, as I know from personal experience what can happen

when a cannula is left in longer than necessary.

As a junior doctor, many years ago now, I admitted a patient in acute heart failure

who had heart valve disease.

I knew I needed to give medication to treat the heart failure and that the best way

of doing this was through an intra-venous cannula.

I inserted the device and the patient was admitted to the coronary care unit to be

stabilised and the patient improved.


This article is

available on the

Resource CD for

you to use in your

internal

communications.

At this point the patient was well enough to be transferred to a ward and no longer

needed intra-venous medications, so the intra-venous cannula could possibly have

come out.

However, either because the ward was busy or that it was felt that it would be

best to leave the cannula in place in case further treatment became needed again,

it was not removed and the patient developed an infection.

The infection spread rapidly from the cannula into the patient‟s blood and also

infected the already damaged heart valves which meant emergency heart valve

replacement surgery was needed.

Thankfully the patient survived the infection and the surgery, and was eventually

discharged from hospital.

Salutary lesson

The experience however, left an indelible print on my mind and was a salutary

lesson in the unintended harm that can result from medical devices, needed for

treatment, but that can lead to problems if left in too long.

The incident sparked in me a fervent interest in infection control and I am

wholeheartedly behind this new work to improve the way we deliver care.

By stopping, thinking and removing a device when appropriate, we really can help

to save lives and avoid patients suffering unnecessary harm.

Organisations have been implementing two new care bundles – a set of

interventions that work better together than separately – to improve care and

reduce infections.

Checklist

Staff are also being encouraged to use a checklist each time for every patient to

ensure the correct decision is made for them.

The work is already is showing signs of success with fewer

devices being inserted and infections reducing.

There are always going to be times when the insertion of an

urinary catheter or intravenous cannula is the best course of

action for patients and on occasions complications from the

use of medical devices may be unavoidable. However we

must minimise the risks as much as possible.

Further information is available at www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/STOP



What’s in this pack?

This pack includes:

5 x A3 posters

15 x A4 posters

25 x A6 postcards

40 x self adhesive stickers

15 x coasters

Poster artwork and images

Photography

Template Press Release

Template internal news story

Resource CD with materials

The 1000 Lives Plus Quality

Improvement Guide

“By stopping, thinking

and removing a device

when appropriate, we

really can help to save

lives and avoid patients

suffering unnecessary

harm.”

Dr Eleri Davies, Director of the Welsh

Healthcare Associated Infections

Programme (WHAIP) and member of

the 1000 Lives Plus Faculty.

Banner artwork for use on websites

and internal newsletters and

documents – see Resource CD.

Photos to illustrate the use of a

PVC in your communications

activity – see Appendix C (pg 12)

and the Resources CD.


Using the resources in this pack

POSTERS >>> In this pack you will find a selection of A3 and A4 posters. You can display these in numerous locations, for example:

Staff rooms

Nursing station

Store rooms

Supply cupboards and any other suitable areas.

You may wish to test these locations using a Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle. You can ask staff if they have noticed the posters and, if not move them to more visible locations.

Top Tip: Think about „footfall‟ - how many people will walk past a poster? Is there a way of positioning a poster in a place where people will walk towards it? For example, on the door of the staff room?

POSTCARDS >>>

Postcards carrying the S.T.O.P. order have also been produced and can be shared with colleagues. They can also be used in training sessions to provide staff with a reminder of what S.T.O.P. stands for – Stop, Think, Options, Prevent.


SELF ADHESIVE STICKERS >>>

The pack includes sheets of stickers, which can be attached to disposable items (e.g. sharps bins) as a reminder to check whether PVCs and catheters are still needed. Please do not stick them to surfaces that may be damaged on removal or on clinical governance reports. It is also important to ensure stickers do not obscure clinical or other information.

COASTERS >>>

There are also coasters which can be used in break rooms, nursing stations and offices – in fact, any areas where colleagues will notice them.

Top Tip: Arrange a meeting with your Communications Team – they will already know about this campaign. Share with them the enclosed resources and discuss how you can work together to promote your work as part of the campaign.

RESOURCE CD >>>

On the disc you will find more useful materials for you to promote S.T.O.P. including:

Internal communications news story (see page 11): Personalise the story and ask your communications team to post it on your organisation‟s website. Include a photo of you and your team.

Template press release (see page 13): Fill in the blanks with the relevant details, supply a photo and ask the Communications team to send out to their press contacts.

Banner image (see Resources CD): Ask if this can be used on your website, newsletter and any related documents you may be producing.

Feature article (see pages 4-5): If you need further information for your website or newsletter, use the feature articles included in this pack.

Photographs (see page 12): A picture speaks a thousand words – we‟ve supplied photos that you can use in your internal and external communications. You can also use the images of the posters and stickers too!


If your organisation uses social media, encourage them to tweet or post status updates to publicise the work on Twitter and Facebook. Think about tweeting yourself too!

Top Tip: Use the S.T.O.P. Communications Checklist on page 10 to raise the profile of the campaign and the work your team is doing to reduce healthcare associated infections in this area.

MATERIAL FOR GIVING A PRESENTATION >>>

If you need to give a presentation about the S.T.O.P. campaign to colleagues, you may find some of the material of the Resource CD helpful:

A presentation on the work of the programme area – which you may like to use as a base for your presentation – or draw slides from.

Videos filmed in Cwm Taf Health Board and Velindre Cancer Centre (Nov 2011) highlighting the way in which they are taking the work forward.

The campaign images and characters as jpegs to insert into your presentation.

Make sure you have posters and postcards to give to the people who are attending too! Use the Re-Order Form if necessary, see page 15.


Appendix A: The S.T.O.P. Communications Checklist

The S.T.O.P. Communications Checklist:

Ten Things You Can Do!

No.

Action Complete

1. Display posters in all visible areas.

2. Distribute postcards to all staff involved.

3. Use the stickers – where appropriate.

4. Distribute coasters in break rooms and other staff areas.

5. Develop and deliver your own presentation to deliver to colleagues using the material provided (eg videos, images, slides).

6. Arrange a meeting with your organisation‟s Communications Team to discuss the campaign and your team‟s involvement in it.

7.

Provide your Communications Team with a story and photo for your organisation‟s intranet and staff newsletter, using the template story provided – see pg 11.

8. Provide your Communications Team with a press release, using the template release provided – see pg 13.

9.

If you‟re using social media (eg Twitter and Facebook) mention the campaign and the work you‟re involved in.

10. Once you‟ve used all the material – order more – using the re-order form provided – see pg 15.


Appendix B: News Item for your organisation‟s internal communications – eg intranet, staff newsletter

New campaign to help reduce risk of infections

Health board staff are supporting a new campaign which will improve the use and

maintenance of catheters and cannulas.

Patients with these devices are at risk of infection if they aren‟t applied or used correctly.

The campaign is asking frontline staff to S.T.O.P. and assess whether the patient they are

caring for needs a device and, if one is in place, to question whether it‟s still needed or

can be removed.

S.T.O.P. prompts staff to Stop and ask is the device really needed? It encourages them to

Think and give the necessary attention to detail, to focus on Options and consider

whether there are alternatives. This will Prevent healthcare associated infections by

ensuring the use and maintenance of the devices is as safe as possible.

[ Insert Nursing/Medical director name ] said, “There are always going to be times when

the insertion of a cannula or catheter is the best course of action for patients. They can

be an important part of treatment, but are sometimes used when they aren‟t needed and

can cause complications if left in for too long.”

“By reducing the use of these devices and improving how they are maintained when they

are needed, we can ensure we are doing all we can to reduce the risk of infection to the

patient.”

The poster campaign features catheter and cannula characters alongside a large STOP sign

with the question: „Does your patient need us?‟

[ Insert name of clinician ] said, “The work we are doing

to reduce the use of invasive devices is already making a

real difference with infection rates dropping and patients

receiving better care.”

The S.T.O.P. poster campaign is part of the 1000 Lives Plus programme‟s focus to reduce healthcare associated infections. Further details can be found at: www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk./stop

http://www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk./stop


Appendix C: Photographs

The following photographs are included on the Resource CD for you to use to illustrate the use of a PVC. They can be used to support S.T.O.P. communications activity on websites, in newsletters, presentations and to accompany press releases. We are grateful to colleagues at Velindre Cancer Centre for appearing in them.


Appendix D: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

[ Insert date ]

New campaign to reduce infections through improved use of catheters and cannulas

[ Insert name of organisation ] is supporting a new campaign to improve the safety of

patient care through better use of catheters and cannulas.

Patients with these devices are at risk of infection if they aren‟t applied or used correctly.

Frontline staff are being asked to S.T.O.P. and assess whether the patient they are caring

for needs a device and if one is in place to question whether it‟s still needed or could be

removed.

S.T.O.P. prompts staff to Stop and ask is the device really needed? It encourages them to

Think and give the necessary attention to detail, to focus on Options and consider

whether there are alternatives. This will Prevent healthcare associated infections by

ensuring the use and maintenance of them is as safe as possible.

[ Insert Nursing/Medical Director name ], said, “There are always going to be times

when the insertion of a cannula or catheter is the best course of action for patients. They

can be an important part of treatment, but they can sometimes be used when they aren‟t

needed and can cause complications if left in for too long.

“By reducing the use of these devices and improving how they are maintained when they

are needed, we can ensure we are doing all we can to reduce the risk of infection to the

patient.”

A catheter is a small tube often inserted into a patient‟s bladder to relieve them of urine

following an operation or during an illness. A cannula is inserted into the vein to allow

intravenous medicines and fluids to be given.

Both devices perform an important role, but carry a risk of infection which can result in

complications for the patient and a prolonged stay in hospital.

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common causes of healthcare associated

infections in Wales and the use of catheters increase their risk.

[ Insert your organisation’s

logo here ]


Cannulas can allow bacteria directly into the bloodstream although the incidence of

infections is low.

S.T.O.P. will ask staff to consider firstly if the device is needed. If the answer is yes, then

it must only be inserted by trained personnel and fastidious care taken each and every

time to diminish the risk of infection.

The campaign is a key area of work for 1000 Lives Plus, the national programme

supporting organisations and individuals to deliver the highest quality and safest

healthcare for the people of Wales.

Posters distributed across health organisations to raise awareness amongst staff feature

catheter and cannula characters alongside a large STOP sign, with the question „Does your

patient need us?‟

[ Insert name of clinician ] said, “Reducing the risk of healthcare associated infections is

a priority and this new campaign will ensure staff are aware that such devices are not

always necessary.

“If we reduce the risk of infection then we avoid complications, reducing the length of

time patients are in hospital and the number of readmissions.

“It ensures the care we deliver is as good as it can be and allows greater efficiency,

enabling more patients to be treated.”

The S.T.O.P. campaign will build on the good work already in place across Wales to reduce

healthcare associated infections in these areas.

Dr Eleri Davies, Director of the Welsh Healthcare Associated Infections Programme and

1000 Lives Plus Faculty Member, said, “This new focus will enable healthcare staff to stop

and consider if the device is really needed.

“The message is simple and clear, yet it will make a real difference to the quality and

safety of care delivered to the patient.

“Organisations are committed to winning the battle against healthcare associated

infections and the S.T.O.P. campaign is supporting them to achieve this aim.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact [ Insert name of Communications Officer ] on

[ Insert contact details ] or visit www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/STOP

Notes to editors

[ Insert notes about your organisation ]

1000 Lives Plus is the national improvement programme supporting organisations and individuals to deliver the highest quality and safest healthcare for the people of Wales.



Appendix E: Re-Order Form

Re-order form

Campaign resources Quantity needed – please circle

A4 Poster

5 / 10 / 20

A3 Poster

5 / 10 / 20

Postcards

10 / 25 / 50

Coasters

10 / 20

Stickers (8 per sheet)

5 (40) / 10 (80)

Your name _____________________________________________________

Job title _____________________________________________________ Delivery address __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Post code _____________________________________________________ Email _____________________________________________________ Contact phone no _________________________________________________

Please return this form to: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


For the latest information and resources for the S.T.O.P. campaign visit

www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/STOP


campaign communications pack - 1000 lives plus

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