Hospital patients to be told to get up and dressed to avoid 'pyjama paralysis'

Hospital patients across the country will be told to get up and dressed in the daytime in a bid to end “pyjama paralysis” which can cause premature frailty.

Britain’s chief nursing officer will today launch a national campaign to get patients moving after pilot schemes found that getting patients out of bed boosted their health and got them home earlier.

Earlier this year, Prof Jane Cummings asked wards to try a 70 day “challenge” to get patients up, dressed, and moving wherever possible.

It follows warnings that a ten-day stay in hospital can mean an elderly person loses 10 per cent of muscle mass  - equivalent to 10 years of ageing.

Time spent bed-bound is linked to an increased risk of ending up in a care home or nursing home, after being discharged from hospital, because of the amount of time spent bed-bound.

Today health officials said that the efforts to get patients up and dressed saw a dramatic fall in bed sores, patient falls, and satisfaction levels - and resulted in 710,000 fewer days spent in hospital, overall. 

More than 10,000 patients were involved in schemes which attempted to prioritise dressing and mobility on the ward, between April and June of this year.

Today Prof Cummings said the schemes showed that it should now become “the gold standard” for patients to be up and dressed daily, in hospitals and care homes across the country. 

She told The Sunday Telegraph: "For many people wearing pyjamas or night-clothes reinforces feeling unwell and can hinder a speedy recovery. We know that many people who are in hospital beds could be helped to get back on their feet sooner, which helps them to get back home to loved ones more quickly.  The campaign to end PJ paralysis has shown what can be achieved when this gold standard is adopted.”

Studies show that three in five immobile, older patients in hospital had no medical reason requiring bedrest.  Salford Royal Hospital was one of the first to adopt the campaign, which saw staff setting up group meals, encouraging visits from therapy dogs, and setting up activities for those recovering from ill-health.

Ward managers said the efforts saw the average number of falls recorded per month fall from 12 to just two. Staff said it was crucial to encourage a “sense of normality” among patients, to avoid feelings of institutionalisation, which could result in frailty.

Frontline hospital staff in Salford, Oldham, Bury, Rochdale and North Manchester drew up schemes which would encourage patients - especially the elderly - to increase their activity levels.

Sarah Elliot, Ward Manager for the Pendleton Suite, a 49-bed unit for patients recovering from emergency treatment at Salford Royal Hospital, said: “Whether it’s a visit from a therapy dog, taking part in group games, or joining a social mealtime – every day of the week there is a reason for people on Pendleton to get up, dressed and moving. 

“Before we started the campaign we had been working towards reducing the number of falls on the ward, but by getting more patients mobile more often and use of technology we recorded a further reduction in falls from an average of 12 per month, to two in July this year,” she added.

“We’ve encouraged family members to bring in patients’ clothes, so that they can start to regain a sense of normality. We often hear how much patients value the encouragement from staff, and a routine which helps them get ready to leave hospital.”

Professor Brian Dolan, Visiting Professor of Nursing at Oxford Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research, said efforts so far had been embraced by nurses, therapists and doctors, in ways he had not seen in a career spanning more than 30 years.

"I am thrilled how staff are continuing to implement the principles of the campaign to improve outcomes for patients and those we care for," he said.

“Patients wearing their own clothes in hospital further enhances their dignity, safety and retains their sense of identity and when something works well for patients; it works for staff too. 

"Encouraging patients to get dressed everyday rather than remaining in their pyjamas or hospital gown when they do not need to boosts recovery and makes the most of precious time so it can be better spent with loved ones.”