April 16, 2024At Northern Health, we understand that patients and their families or support people are best placed to recognise early deterioration in their loved ones, often before changes in observations are noted by clinical staff.
As such, Northern Health has an escalation process in place for when patients, families, carers, or support people are worried about the physical or mental health deterioration of the patient or loved one. This process is known as R.E.A.C.H. (Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help is on its way).
R.E.A.C.H. encourages patients, carers and family members to escalate their concerns with staff about worrying changes in a patient’s condition. When implementing R.E.A.C.H., patients and families are advised to follow the below process:
Step 1: Speak to your nurse. Tell them your concerns.
Step 2: If you’re still worried, ask your nurse for a “clinical review”. This should occur within 30 minutes.
Step 3: If a doctor has seen you or your loved one and you’re still worried, call REACH on:
- Broadmeadows Hospital: REACH on 1800 897 205
- Bundoora Centre: REACH on 1800 892 126
- Northern Hospital Epping: REACH on 1800 897 216
- Kilmore District Hospital: REACH on 5734 2177
When making the call, it is important to identify:
- The bed number you, or the person you care for, is in
- Who you are – a patient, family member or carer, and tell them the name of the patient
- That you need to call REACH
- The name of the ward
- The bed number you, or your loved one, is in
Elise Sutton, Resuscitation and Clinical Deterioration Coordinator, said patients and their family members can gain insight into the process through various channels within the healthcare service.
“Patients and family members can become aware of the process from the posters around the hospital, the number on patient communication boards and it is provided to them as part of their admission welcome pack,” she said.
“Staff should also educate the patient on this as part of their admission when providing them with the welcome pack.”
Feedback reports after using the R.E.A.C.H program include:
“I felt my needs and those of my loved ones were adequately addressed after I called for a rapid response.”
“R.E.A.C.H. call provided a very good service, and the response was excellent, with an outcome straight away.”
“R.E.A.C.H. call was very good, made us feel heard and put our mind at rest.”
“Family was very happy with service and immediate response. It changed the care for their mother.”
As part of Standard 8: Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration, it is essential that Northern Health staff are aware of the R.E.A.C.H. process and can assist patients and their support people to advocate for their health.
This is in addition to the three-tiered response to deterioration (PreMET, MET & Code Blue) that serves to detect and effectively escalate clinical deterioration.
Featured image: Elise Sutton, Resuscitation and Clinical Deterioration Coordinator.
