Page 11 - Community Living 35-4

health inclusion
Your healthy kit bag

Red bags containing belongings, medication and paperwork are
improving healthcare and shortening hospital stays – and are
likened to portable support workers, writes Debbie Palmer

huge range of health inequalities Choice Support has distributed more
are experienced by people with a than 500 free holdalls to people in
A learning disability. Their average life Wakefield aged 14 years and over who
expectancy is 18 years less (for women) have a learning disability.
and 14 years less (for men) compared to
the general population. Bags of benefits
Choice Support is running a project in Within months of starting, the project is
Wakefield involving a red bag, which aims having positive effects. Before, documents
to address these inequalities and improve were routinely mislaid or misused. All there: the bag is packed and ready
the standard of healthcare received by Sarah Gapper, Choice Support’s red bag
people with a learning disability. health co-ordinator, says: “Health asked if they could give Catherine
A VIP (vulnerable inpatient) red bag holds passports were not being used. People additional support.
a person’s key paperwork, medication and were experiencing long waiting times and “We went back to the waiting room and
personal belongings together when they their important paperwork was being lost.” were called in straight away to see the
have a health appointment or are In addition, providing a VIP red bag nurse for her results. This reduced the
admitted to hospital. Documents might containing information about how a person time Catherine was at the hospital, which
include eating plans, do not attempt would like to be supported is a positive step made her happy and reduced any anxiety.
resuscitation forms and health passports in closing the communication gap between “We have added this experience to her
with information about the patient. health and social care staff. Sharing these health passport, so staff know how to
It is early days for the Wakefield project, details helps identify those who may require support her if she needs another X-ray in
which was launched in January this year, extra support and reminds staff to make the future.”
but findings from an initial scheme in necessary adjustments to a person’s care. Local radio adverts, support from
Sutton, which inspired Choice Support’s Catherine Limbert, for example, community learning disability nurses and
work, are promising. receives daily support from homes fundraising (including £5,000 from
In 2015, red bags were supplied to each manager Vicky Place and her team. Place Morrisons community grants fund, which
care home in Sutton with the intention of recently supported Limbert to have an will be used to buy more bags) are all
making transitions to and from hospital x-ray in hospital. helping the project flourish. Care
for older people smoother. The NHS found Because Limbert had all her documents co-ordinators in GP surgeries are involved
hospital stays were reduced by 3-4 days together in her backpack, hospital staff in distributing the holdalls.
when patients had a VIP red bag, saving were better able to understand her needs The Wakefield teams are determined to
£167,000 per year in the Sutton area. and ensure she received the best possible fully involve people and families in this
Encouraged by these positive outcomes, care. They were able to adjust how the developing project. A photo journal
Choice Support staff recognised that the X-ray was carried out to make things representing a person’s healthcare
initiative could also benefit people with easier for her. experiences and workshops for people,
learning disabilities. The charity won Place says: “The staff interacted with families and staff, are in the pipeline.
funding of £40,000 from NHS England and Catherine all the time and made it fun for Choice Support is keen to see the
Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group her while she received treatment. The rucksacks distributed further afield and for
for its own scheme. nurse phoned the x-ray department and their positive impact to reach more people
with learning disabilities across the UK.
Having everything available in a holdall makes While a simple idea, the red bag has the
hospital appointments run more smoothly potential to make huge improvements in
healthcare and support.
Another resident supported by Choice
Support finds having everything he needs
at appointments reassuring. “It’s like a
support worker in a bag,” he says.
l If you or someone you support lives in
Wakefield and would like to request a VIP
red bag, email: thevipredbag@
choicesupport.org.uk
Choice Support Debbie Palmer is communications officer at

Choice Support

www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 35 No 4 | Summer 2022 11