Hospital staff on mission to help patients get home quicker

Staff at Macclesfield District General Hospital have starred in a new information video produced to encourage inpatients in hospital to ‘get up, get dressed and get moving’.

The video was produced by East Cheshire NHS Trust, which manages Macclesfield Hospital, along with Congleton War Memorial Hospital and Knutsford and Community Hospital.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) at the Trust, Chloe Grindey and Simran Sequeira feature in the short video which incorporates key messages and tips from the Trust’s ‘Dressed is Best’ campaign, which aims to reduce the length of time patients spend in hospital and speed up their recovery.

Many patients, particularly older people, who spend time in hospital find that they no longer feel able, or confident, to live independently, or take part in their usual activities when they are discharged.

This is because of the impact that spending an extended amount of time in bed can have on the body. In fact, for every ten days of bed rest in hospital, the equivalent of ten years of muscle ageing can occur in people over 80 years old, and building this muscle strength back up takes twice as long as it does to deteriorate.

Getting up, dressed, and moving during the day while spending time in hospital can help patients to avoid falls and maintain their mobility, reduce their risk of skin damage and chest infections, enhance their sleep quality, mood and appetite, and even get home quicker and recover better. 

Rachel Pepler, Head of Allied Health Professions (AHPs) at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said:

“Little things like this can have a huge impact not only on someone’s independence and confidence, but also their mental health and wellbeing too.

“Our patients who get themselves dressed and up and about tell us that they feel much better, and many are able to go home sooner too, which is fantastic.”

Family and friends of patients are also being asked to support by ensuring that they have suitable footwear and plenty of clean clothes to wear during their hospital stay.

Pictured - Occupational Therapists Chloe Grindey (right) and Simran Sequeira (left)