Get out of bed and speed up your recovery time

Patients at five hospitals in Greater Manchester - including the Royal Oldham - are being encouraged and supported to get out of bed, put on some clothes and become active in order to aid their recovery time following a stay.

Staff are encouraging patients, particularly those who are older, to take part in a new national 70 Days to End PJ Paralysis campaign at the hospitals run by The Northern Care Alliance, namely Salford Royal, The Royal Oldham, Fairfield General, Rochdale Infirmary and North Manchester General, in a drive to end what is known as ‘PJ Paralysis.’

Over the past six months staff across the Northern Care Alliance have been rolling out initiatives inspired by the End PJ Paralysis campaign, which has resulted in more patients being discharged sooner.

Popular up and down the country, and particularly prominent on social media, #endPJparalysis was set up by Prof Brian Dolan with the simple aim of getting patients out of bed, out of their pyjamas, and as active as possible to boost their recovery.

Spending just ten days in bed can result in a ten-year aging process in muscles for elderly patients, which in turn can increase the risk of falls, harms (such as pressure ulcers, infections and blood clots), restrictions to everyday independent life and mobility.

There is also a risk of incontinence with over-reliance on catheters or bedpans, instead of assisting or encouraging patients to toilet as normal.

Elaine Inglesby-Burke CBE, Chief Nursing Officer at The Northern Care Alliance said: “This is one of the most important pieces of work for our organisation and I am proud that so many different teams across the Alliance have taken the social movement to heart.

"The enthusiasm of staff to improve patient experience has been infectious.

"When I visit our wards and areas I am constantly impressed with the creative ways in which staff are overcoming challenges to End PJ Paralysis and reduce the amount of precious time that patients spend in a healthcare setting.”

Philip Hargreaves, a patient on AMU at The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “Having spent time in hospital I couldn’t wait to get back to normal. 

"Laying on a bed all day and staring at four walls and a ceiling drives you crazy.

"The minute I could get out of bed, get dressed and go to the toilet and bathroom to have a wash and shower I felt on top of the world.

"The nurses and staff on AMU at The Royal Oldham Hospital did their upmost to help me get mobile again and encouraged me, even if I felt I could not do it.”

Getting patients out of bed and participating in shared mealtimes is just one way staff are participating in the 70 Days initiative.

Other ways they are participating in the End PJ Paralysis campaign at local hospitals include:

• Engaging activities - to encourage a friendly and stimulating environment for recovery inc afternoon tea, craft events, themed parties (Ward 21 Fairfield General Hospital)
• What matters most to me today? A speech bubble is displayed above the patient’s bed saying what activity they would like to do that day, for example get out of bed and watch the match, or to recover and to be discharged home
• Team engagement – involving full departments in the End PJ Paralysis campaign
• At The Royal Oldham hospital on the AMU ward we have reduced reliance on commodes
• At the Clinical Assessment Unit at Rochdale Infirmary we have introduced a new ‘hydration station’ – See case study below
• At the Pendleton Suite at Salford Royal we have reduced the number of pressure ulcers
• At North Manchester General Hospital on Ward I6 we have provided information to patients and relatives about the campaign, meal times and activities

As part of the national 70 Days campaign, hospital wards will be capturing data to answer two simple questions each day; How many patients are dressed in day clothes at midday and of these dressed patients, how many have mobilised e.g. walked to the toilet / shower or walked around the bed?

This data will then be fed into the national 70 Days campaign, which aims to get one million patients up, mobile and dressed in 70 days.

The 70 Days campaign is running from April 17 until June 26, to coincide with the 70^th birthday celebration for the NHS.