Forget Me Not initiative

Posted on 5th April, 2013

Staff from our Trust have been working closely with colleagues at the RD&E in Exeter on a project to improve the quality of care for people at the hospital who may be confused or have trouble communicating. Vicky Shorters of our OPMH Liaison Psychiatry Team, who has been working with Andrea Fairclough on the project, explains: "Many people in hospital have difficulty understanding and communicating and they may be disoriented or confused for a number of different reasons. We need to make sure that all staff are aware of this and that they do everything possible to ensure that these people are treated with dignity and respect. The subtle Forget Me Not symbol appearing above a person's bed, or next to their name on the main ward whiteboard, lets everyone know that this person requires a little extra time, care and sensitivity. It can be easily seen by clinicians, porters, healthcare assistants and other ward staff and the initial feedback about the initiative has been very encouraging."