Posters

Introduction: The cornerstone of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention is avoiding unnecessary indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) insertion [1]. As part of a long-term project to reduce the number of catheters, the most common inserted device used across MOE wards in our hospital, we recently undertook a project to improve planning (does it need to stay, can we remove it?) and the reliability of information reconciliation around their use. Methods: We designed a data collection tool, analysing key aspects of IUC care, measured our performance at least twice-yearly using

Decompensated heart failure is a common acute presentation to hospital amongst the frail older population (1). Treatment often involves intravenous furosemide, which is effective in inducing potent diuresis.​ However, this treatment can be associated with negative effects of hospital stay, such as hospital-associated infections, delirium and deconditioning. These risks are particularly significant for patients living with frailty, for whom admission can increase dependency, increase likelihood of readmission, and contribute to higher mortality. For many individuals with frailty, personal

Introduction: Elderly patients undergoing surgery for neck of femur (NOF) fractures are at high risk of post-operative hypotension due to reduced physiological reserve. Hypotension in this context is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and impaired recovery. Therefore, senior clinicians often pre-emptively hold angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) for 48 hours post-operatively, but this practice is inconsistently followed by resident doctors. We audited the prevalence and impact of this practice, and introduced an

Introduction Since COVID-19, Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates have increased nationally, including at South Warwickshire Hospital Foundation Trust (SWFT) during 2022–2023. A Quality Improvement Project (QIP), in collaboration with the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team, identified older adults with frailty as high-risk for receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics, which were linked to higher CDI rates and poorer outcomes. To address this, a frailty-specific antimicrobial guideline was introduced to reduce inappropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic use, particularly co-amoxiclav, and

An audit of inpatient falls - are we adequately addressing bone health? Background: Falls in older adults frequently result in osteoporotic fractures, leading to longer stays, greater dependency, and long-term morbidity. Fragility fractures are estimated to cost the UK around £4.5 billion annually. Despite these serious implications, tools like FRAX, and routine assessments such as calcium and vitamin D levels, are still underused in the inpatient setting, especially following a fall. The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) recommends using the FRAX tool to estimate 10-year fracture

Introduction Inpatient falls in older adults frequently lead to fragility fractures, with femoral fractures occurring in up to 82% of cases (RCP, NAIF 2023). These injuries significantly impact long-term morbidity and cost the NHS £4.4 billion annually (ROS, 2022). Despite tools like FRAX and national guidance (NOGG, 2021; NICE, 2022), bone health assessments remain inconsistently performed after a fall. Objectives To evaluate whether inpatients who fell received appropriate fracture risk assessment and bone protection in line with NICE and NOGG recommendations. Methods We conducted a

Introduction: Deconditioning remains a significant challenge for hospital inpatients, particularly the older patients. National campaigns such as “End PJ Paralysis” and “Sit Up, Get Dressed, Keep Moving” endorsed by the British Geriatrics Society, highlight the importance of maintaining mobility during hospital stays. We designed a QIP to raise awareness of deconditioning among nursing staff and resident doctors and to identify barriers preventing mobilization. Method: We conducted a QIP on a geriatric ward at Lincoln County Hospital, collecting quantitative data on the frequency of patients

Introduction Older adults living with frailty are at high risk of harm in traditional emergency care settings whilst frailty prevalence is rising. The Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC) service at University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) was launched in January 2025 to provide rapid, specialist-led, multidisciplinary care outside the Emergency Department (ED) footprint. The aim: to assess, treat, and discharge patients on the same day, avoiding unnecessary and unwanted admissions and aligning with the NHS Long Term Plan. Method FSDEC operated as a three-month pilot within the medical SDEC

Introduction Even in “healthy” ageing, the immune system undergoes significant changes, with these immune system aberrations being collectively known as immunosenescence. These changes are complex, occurring both in the innate and the adaptive immune system, though recent focus has been on changes in the adaptive immune system due to increasing availability of highly targeted immunomodulatory drugs coming into clinical use. Managing immunosenescence is important for older adults as these immune changes contribute to their increased susceptibility to infections, poor response to vaccines

Introduction: Hospital inpatients can present as confused for a multitude of reasons, thus learning how to effectively communicate with confused patients is a key skill for medical students. Fourth year is the first clinical year at our medical school. A verbal feedback session with fourth year medical student year representatives identified confidence in communicating with confused patients as a key concern of the cohort. Methods: 40 fourth year medical students were surveyed using an online form. The students rated their confidence in communicating with confused patients on a Likert scale

Introduction. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (OT) define OT as “supporting individuals to develop, recover, or maintain skills for daily life and personal fulfilment”. At its core there is a focus on meaningful activities and occupation-based practice. However, workforce shortages and referral changes have altered OT roles, leading to a misunderstanding and under-recognition within the Multidisciplinary-Team (MDT). In our trust this led to the need for a referral form to trigger OT involvement in patient care to be introduced in 2024. Method. An initial pilot questionnaire (n-30)

Introduction The risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) increases as we age, with 1 in 2 people over the age of 75 having CKD. Previous research in London found 48% of those with CKD stage 3-5 were undiagnosed. The commonest cause of death in patients with CKD is cardiovascular events. This means that timely detection of CKD is important to allow risk-stratification and monitoring of other cardiovascular risk factors, which could help improve mortality of those with CKD. This audit consists of two cycles to see whether those 75 years or older who fit the NICE CKS criteria for CKD are diagnosed

Introduction Lagan Valley Hospital is 80 bedded district general hospital offering acute medical specialty admissions. Over 70% of admissions relate to older adults (> 65 years). Previous focused audits demonstrated high prevalence of delirium and undiagnosed dementia. Chart reviews highlighted variation in completeness and quality of cognitive history taking by all members of the multidisciplinary team. Development of a cognitive history template offers potential to improve patient care. Method Survey of doctors to assess baseline confidence in cognitive history taking, audit of in-patients (

Background: Whilst working within the Older Person Medicine (OPM) department, we noted that there were many frail patients who were not having Advanced Care Plan (ACP) discussions. Our preliminary retrospective data collection showed that 39% of OPM inpatients died within a year of their admission. Patients with a Clinical Frailty Score (CFS) >/=7 or >2 admissions in the last year were at highest risk of this 1-year mortality. Aim: Our quality improvement project aimed to highlight patients in which an ACP discussion may be appropriate and therefore improve the frequency of ACP discussions and

Introduction Improving ageing education for health professionals requires meaningful involvement of those with lived experience. Giving older adults a voice in curriculum design and delivery helps shape education to be inclusive, authentic, and relevant, preparing students for person-centred care. Methods We hosted a community engagement outreach workshop, bringing together multidisciplinary health professions students (n=7: medicine; pharmacy) and educators (n=26), with older members of the public (n=8) and other key stakeholders in older peoples’ care (n=12: care home staff; charity

Introduction: A large amount of data is collected on care home residents to support their daily care. The Data Sharing Partnership (DSP) project linked individual-level data held in care homes with health data, and co-designed dashboards to display back to care homes. This evaluation aimed to gather views and experiences of project participants to understand key processes and learnings to inform the development of an accessible and secure model for the use of individual-level care home data. Methods: Qualitative methods were undertaken through in-depth semi-structured interviews with DSP

Introduction: This study of patients attending East Surrey Hospital’s (ESH) Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC) unit was designed to assess the interrelationship between onward destination from FSDEC, including existing location-based virtual wards (VW) offering ongoing care and remote monitoring at home, outpatient clinics and comorbidity. In ESH in October 2024, a 6-space FSDEC was created. Patients are pulled from the ED in the morning, with a small number being referred from GPs and community Urgent and Emergency Care teams. Method: Data were reviewed from February 2025 to April 2025

INTRODUCTION The Surgical Emergency Unit (SEU) at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford assesses a wide range of patients daily, including a significant proportion aged ≥65 years. However, current clerking proformas lack a dedicated section for frailty scales, often resulting in omission. Accurate and consistent documentation of frailty using the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) supports perioperative optimisation and surgical decision-making, designed to avoid age-related bias and discrimination. As per trust policy, all patients aged ≥65 with unplanned admissions should have a CFS recorded

Introduction Standardising data collection and collation in care homes is a policy priority. The DACHA study piloted and tested a care home Minimum Dataset This follow-up study aimed to understand how care homes deploy data to improve care. Methods Interviews with care home staff, residents, relatives and other stakeholders (n= 22) from three care homes, explored data usage. Interview data were synthesised and thematically analysed with findings used to inform worked examples of how data informs care. These exemplars were presented at workshop with commissioners, healthcare providers and

Introduction - Treatment Escalation Planning (TEP) is an essential part of delivering person-centred care and is a key component of Realistic Medicine. A TEP can help to avoid unnecessary interventions, demonstrates respect for patient’s autonomy, and reduces uncertainty for both patients and staff who deliver their care. Our aim was to improve TEP compliance across MOE & Stroke in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to >90% by June 2025. Methods - Data was collected from electronic records (5 patients per ward, per week) for a total of eight months. Data collected included: a) presence of a TEP