Two new resources have been created by the East Midlands AHSN, available for care homes to use. ‘React To’ is a series of video-based training resources developed by healthcare professionals, and the latest two additions focus on ‘Managing Deterioration’ and ‘Quality Improvement’.

The React To model is already well-known and used by social care staff from across the UK and is made up of a series of videos and supporting resources, which have been specifically designed for the social care sector. The React To series has been praised for being accessible and easy to view; the delivery of information through bite-size films gives staff the opportunity to access these training videos in a timeframe that suits.

East Midlands AHSN, with funding through the Q community by the Health Foundation and NHS England, worked with a small group of care homes from across the region to develop the React to Quality Improvement resource.

The East Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative (part of the AHSN) has been promoting a quality improvement (QI) approach through coaching and supporting staff for more than five years, and experience shows that co-producing and tailoring resources to the needs of the care home sector were vital to enable staff to better connect and apply QI.

Three care homes were recruited from across the East Midlands and group sessions were held to scope current access to quality improvement training, discuss recommendations and how to engage care home staff. You can read more about the process here in this report.

Watch the REACT To Quality Improvement videos here.

React To Deterioration comprises two videos and links to additional resources, further reading and training. Managing deterioration is one of the priorities of the National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes and is strongly aligned with the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. Find out more about the programme here, which is supported in the East Midlands by the Patient Safety Collaborative.

React To Deterioration provides information and training about:

Frailty: understanding what it is, combined with how it can be managed.Advance Care Planning: focusing on what matters to the resident.Recognising early ‘soft signs’ of deterioration.Ways to improve communication to ensure residents get the right help in a timely manner by using the SBARD communication tool.

Watch the React To Deterioration videos here.