Posted 27 July 2021 - 13:34
Posted 27 July 2021 - 13:34
News
Campaign calls on night shift nurses to help encourage healthier sleep for inpatients
Trust wants to eliminate loud night-time noises and boost patient sleep and recovery
Trust wants to eliminate loud night-time noises and boost patient sleep and recovery
Nurses at a hospital trust are being asked to switch to ‘night mode’ and eliminate loud noises and bright lights to help patients sleep better.
The measures are part of the Helping You Sleep Healthier – or HUSH – campaign at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust in Norfolk.
Nurses switch to ‘night mode’ to reduce disturbances and aid recovery
Senior nurse and trust associate director of patient experience Linda Purdy said sleep is key to patients’ recovery and the aim is to make small changes to reduce noise and other disturbance at night.
‘We are encouraging all colleagues working on night shifts to switch into “night mode” where possible, so our patients sleep the best they can,’ she said. ‘This includes speaking as quietly as possible, dimming lighting, lowering the volume on ward telephones, and encouraging patients to switch off electronic devices after 10pm or use headphones.’
Steve Green, a clinical psychologist at the trust, said just one bad night’s sleep could affect thinking, memory and emotional well-being. ‘For patients staying in hospital over a long period of time, repeated episodes of poor sleep, exacerbated by nighttime noise and ward practices, can begin to have a detrimental effect on health and recovery.’
Survey found tens of thousands of inpatients reported having rest disturbed
A poll of NHS trusts and health boards by Nursing Standard in 2016 found television noise, beds being moved, staff talking, machinery, bins and doors closing were some of the most common reasons for noise complaints from patients.
In 2019, the annual adult inpatient survey by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found 40% – or more than 30,000 patients – had their sleep disturbed by noise caused by other patients.
Meanwhile, 20% – more than 15,000 patients – reported having their rest disturbed by noise made by staff. The CQC survey was based on data from more than 75,000 patients discharged from an NHS acute hospital in England in July 2019.
Ms Purdy said she hoped the HUSH campaign would inspire those working in other health and care settings to follow suit.
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