1. Hospital Transfer Pathway Also Known As
THE RED BAG
Hospital Transfer Pathway Also Known As
Dudley Sawyerr
Whitworth House & People Care Services

2. AGENDA Who am I What is the “Red bag scheme” Why it is necessary
How we will implement
Timelines & Next Steps

3. WHO AM I?
WHO AM I?
I am Dudley Sawyer of Whitworth Care where I am co-care manager and a consultant and trainer at People Care Services where we provide care home support and training for staff and owners to deliver excellence in their service.
I am currently part of the Croydon Pathway team delivering the Red Bag scheme which is been Chaired by Olu Odukale (Commissioning Programme Manager) from Croydon CCG
It is a Task & Finish collaborative group made up of
* Representatives from Croydon Health Services
* Representatives from the CCG Out of Hospital Care
* Representatives from Medicines Management – Croydon CCG
* Representatives from the Care Support Team
* Representatives from Adult Social Care – London Borough of Croydon
* Representatives from Urgent Care, CCG
* Representatives from the London Ambulance Service
* Representatives from Care Homes
The aim of the group is to provide direction and guidance for the implementation of the Red bag scheme to help people in their care homes to receive quick and effective treatment should they need to go to hospital.
I am here today to share with you the framework for the scheme and how we will be implementing it in to Croydon.

4. WHAT IS THE RED BAG SCHEME?
The Red bag is simply a bag used to transfer standardised paperwork, medication and personal belongings and stays with the resident throughout their hospital episode and is returned home with the resident.
The Red Bag pathway originated in Sutton three years ago, where it was shown to lead to smoother transfers of care, when a patient is taken into hospital in an emergency, increased communication between care homes and hospitals, better patient care and reduced length of hospital stay for care home residents. Following this success, the Red Bag has since been introduced in 11 London boroughs and other areas across the UK.
Red bag will be provided to care homes and this is will be the only item needed for the hospital attendance for a care home resident.

5. WHY THIS IS NECESSARY
No standard paperwork showing resident’s health needs
Lost documents between Home and Hospital
Loss of residents’ belongings
Medicines disappear
Care homes find it difficult to get information from hospitals
Care homes receive lots of phone calls about the residents’ clinical ‘situation’
Poor communication between hospitals and care homes on discharge
Residents staying in hospital for longer periods than necessary
WHY IS THE SCHEME NECESSARY?
The aim was to address issues:
Such as:
There is currently no standard paperwork showing resident’s health needs
There is a significant loss of residents’ belongings
Care homes find it difficult to get information from hospitals
Care homes receive lots of phone calls about the residents’ clinical ‘situation’
Poor communication between hospitals and care homes on discharge
And let’s not forget to mention being compliant with GDPR
These are just some of the challenges we as service providers face today.
The red bag securely contains residents’ personal belongings (such as day of discharge clothes, toiletries, personal aids and medication) with a checklist to ensure nothing is lost or misplaced, and also clearly identifies the patient as being a care home resident in hospital. There is a set of standardised paperwork completed with all relevant clinical information about the resident’s general health, any existing medical conditions, medication they are taking, as well as highlighting the current health concern to enable effective treatment. This information would follow a resident on their journey to hospital and at all points of the resident’s journey. The paperwork is updated in the hospital and sent back to the care home along with the belongings and discharge notes.
Currently these are suggested items included in the Red Bag:
Documents
Health and Social Care summary record
CARES escalation form
Latest MAR chart
This ME booklet
Any DNAR/CMC care plan
The checklist which needs to be ticked.
Clothing & personal items e.g.
Change of clothes – pyjamas
Change of shoes
Toiletries
Dentures
Glasses
Medication
The resident’s medication should be packed alongside the latest MAR chart
We can see in addition to supporting the transfer and admission of the resident to hospital, the red bag ensures all required information is available and enabling staff to make informed decisions more effectively, it allows for speedier discharge. This whole experience is not just for the benefit of us as professionals but ultimately for the end user.
NHS England has now mandated that the Red Bag Scheme be rolled out across England due to the benefits highlighted by its use by some CCGs. It has been recognised and recommended by NICE, CQC, The Minister Of Care and NHS England.

6. Since being launched by NHS Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group three years ago, the “Red Bag Scheme has:
Reduced hospital stays by three to four days, saving £167,000 a year
Stopped patients losing personal items such as dentures, glasses and hearing aids worth £290,000 in a year
Improved communication between care home and hospital staff saving time, resources and duplication
It said the average length of stay with a bag was 13.4 days, compared to 17.4 days without.
There will be a smoother handover to ambulance
Correct care can be given immediately
Patient identified as a care home resident and ensures they are treated with dignity and respect
Open lines of communication resulting much better working relationships with hospital staff

7. HOW WE WILL IMPLEMENT THE SCHEME
Training sessions within the care homes
Guidelines documents
Information s
Team meetings, presentations and discussions
Posters
Promotions through staff bulletins
Information stand in Croydon University Hospital lobby
HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT THE RED BAG SCHEME
In November, the Red bag scheme will be rolled out in Croydon.
In order to do so, we will be starting with a series of training sessions along with guidelines for the care homes in October.
In parallel, the London Ambulance Service and the Croydon Health Service hospital teams will be also trained.
With the objective to work together for a smoother process for all stakeholder groups.

8. TIMELINES & NEXT STEPS TIMELINES & NEXT STEPS:
Our goal is to start the roll out of the scheme (in waves) in November. We will be in contact with Care Homes regarding times for training to commence before receiving the red bag.
The training sessions are expected to not exceed 1 hour in total.
Looking Forward:
The Task and Finish Group will also review and respond to a range of initiatives on the Red bag Scheme and ensure processes are in place to monitor the implementation. ie FEEDBACK FORMS (Your feedback is important to help maintain & improve the service).

9. WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of Primary Care Services
“The London Borough of Sutton has shown
just what can be achieved when everybody in the system works together to support joined up care”.
Jason Morris, clinical team leader, London Ambulance Service, St Helier area
“The great thing about the red bag is that, put simply, the service is just more patient focussed.  Because the paperwork is standardised for every patient the handover to the ambulance crew is much more efficient.”
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England says:
There is undisputed evidence that the red bag scheme has seen both time efficiency and communication improve. You can see some of the feedback from CQC, London Ambulance Service and the Chief Executive of Care England.
A Home owner said “it also helped improve family’s experiences whilst their loved one is in hospital”.
Minister for Care Caroline Dinenage said: “This scheme is an excellent example of the NHS and social care system working together to improve care and support for vulnerable older patients. Not only is this more efficient – saving valuable resources – but it’s a much better experience for patients leaving hospital when their treatment has finished.
“It’s encouraging to see this scheme being rolled out across the country as we move towards our ambition of joined up care that is centred around the individual.”
“The ‘red bag’ is a tangible representation of improved relationships between hospitals and care homes and the staff involved in the care of the individual”.

10. Please see video explaining the Red Bag journey from home to hospital
Please see video explaining the Red Bag journey from home to hospital. Click on link below to play video:

11. For all questions and assistance related to the scheme, email:
USEFUL CONTACTS
For all questions and assistance related to the scheme,
THANK YOU
Dudley Sawyer