Case study: Red bag pilot scheme in Pennine Lancashire

The Red Bag Scheme is a new scheme currently being piloted across Pennine Lancashire, with around 30 care homes participating in the first two phases of the rollout.

The distinctive red bag with “Together a healthier future” emblazoned on the front, will be accompanying care home patients when they are admitted to hospital. When a decision is made for a care home resident to go to hospital, the care home will pack a red bag to go with the resident.

The red bag is easily identifiable and designed to hold all the essential belongings and standardised documents that care home and hospital staff need when a patient is admitted to hospital. Although quite simple, the scheme has not only improved communication between hospital and care home staff, it has also improved the whole hospital admission and discharge experience for everyone, and the average length of hospital stay for care home residents was reduced. Relatives as well as care home residents love the fact that their personal items and important documents are safe and secure.

In Sutton, where the red bag scheme originated, they found that it improved communication between hospital and care home staff, improved the whole hospital admission and discharge experience for everyone, and the average length of hospital stay for care home residents was reduced.

The red bag will contain personal belongings such as day of discharge clothes, toiletries and personal aids (ie glasses, hearing aids etc) and medication. The red bag also includes 6 ‘must have’ documents:

1. Resident’s Assessment Form

2. CARES escalation record

3. MAR Sheet

4. This is me leaflet

5. Checklist

6. Medicines hospital admission checklist