A TEAM has been set up to improve patient safety by eliminating blood clots, falls, bed sores and urinary catheter infections.

The safe care team, launched at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in August, has been working across county hospitals, including Worcester.

The scheme has been successful in ward 11 at the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, where there have now been 130 days without a patient developing a pressure ulcer (bed sore).

The ward staff have also worked to reduce the number of patients having falls – it has fallen from more than 27 in October 2011 to nine in September this year.

The trust is introducing a falls prevention campaign, using the same model as the pressure ulcer prevention campaign.

Ward staff ask patients to fill out satisfaction survey cards to check for areas where staff can improve.