Hydration Innovation Engaging people in the spring of technology LGA Digital Showcase - 4.11.19

## Dehydration In Care Homes: A National Issue

"Good hydration is a core element of care and plays a role in the prevention of avoidable harm associated with other known patient safety issues."  - Caroline Lecko, NHS England Patient Safety Lead, July 2013
2015 cross-sectional study of >20,000 inpatient records: people admitted to hospital from care homes are 5 times more likely to be dehydrated than those admitted from home

## Discovery Phase Working Together With Residents And Staff Welcome To Sycamore Lodge

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Nursing Dementia Residential Respite Day Care

## How Can We Help People Drink Enough?

1.
Mission hydration innovation

What, How and When are people actually 
drinking?

2.
Don't reinvent the water wheel?
What is out there already?
3.   'Spring' into action!

What do we need to learn?

## Observation And Insight Lead Agency: Voluntary Action North Somerset Expert Interviews Lead Agency: Project Team

Data
Lead agency: Shaw healthcare
I like a nice cup of tea in the morning For to start the day you see
And at half past eleven Well my idea of heaven Is a nice cup of tea I like a nice cup of tea with me dinner And a nice cup of tea with me tea And when it's time for bed
There's a lot to be said For a nice cup of tea

## Insight Activities

Hydrations party - Building and using a hydration party trolley Reminiscence - Music and pictures to prompt memories  

## Insights Outcomes We Would Like To Achieve:

•
Reduced fractured neck of femur 
•
Reduced falls 
•
Reduced hospital admissions 
•
Shared best practice 
•
Increased staff satisfaction 

## All Leading To Increased Health And Wellbeing Eureka, Then Step Back......................What Is The Hypothesis?

We believe......
•
providing a choice to people will result in better 
hydration as they will be stimulated by a variety of flavours 
•
having subtle clues round the home will result in better 
hydration  because of nudge theory
•
that if staff are aware of the link between condition and hydration need this will result in better hydration because staff will have the knowledge to meet the 
need. 

## Prototyping Activities Prototyping With Staff

"Great Idea" "Really useful, particularly for agency staff"
"There should be one mobile device per unit" "Residents could look at their own profile with staff"
"The app would free up time"
"If the app could monitor it could be used in handover so that staff would know immediately if a resident had drunk enough"

## Benefits To Sycamore Lodge

- Working in partnership with North Somerset, LGA, NHS digital 
and the CCG has proven a benefit to Sycamore Lodge as we 
have been able to **share knowledge** and be seen as an equal 
partner 
- Promoting **positive relationships** between partners in 
contrast to usual working which is not always positive due to lack of understanding on both parts
- Working to **one goal** and being able to show how care homes 
can struggle to ensure everyone is hydrated due to service users different needs
- **Better understanding** of everyone's roles in all areas of the 
partnership
- Staff feeling their opinion is **really valued** by external 
professionals. 

## Residents

- The hydration project focused staff over the very hot summer and it meant residents were 
well hydrated
- Residents have **enjoyed** taking part in the activities and had fun deciding on the theme and 
decorating the hydration trolley
- The project has **encouraged** residents to drink more and they have tried **different** drinks. - We have been able to document a **reduction** in hydration related incidents ( UTI, falls, 
confusion from dehydration) 

## Sycamore Lodge Team

- **Excited** and **enthused** the team to 
think outside of the box about hydration.
- Been encouraged to think differently 
about people with dementia participating in research.
- The team feel **valued** that their 
opinions and knowledge have been 
listened to.
- The team are carrying on with parts of 
the research which they felt made a difference - e.g. the hydration trolley, 
trying different drinks using games to 
discuss hydration 

## Success Is.........

Co design Collaboration Outcomes 

## Final Thoughts

•
Collaboration and codesign with staff and residents lead to understanding individuals needs 
•
Proactive assessment is key to dehydration prevention
•
Using information from these assessments to form personal profiles within the app supports carers to place the individual at the heart of 
improving hydration
•
There is so much talk about the impact of dehydration across health 
and social care sectors, let's take action instead