Managing a busy General Medical Ward in station 14 of University Hospital Ayr with clients with huge complex needs and challenges presents a massive test in delivering reliable, safe and high quality person centred care. As a unit we felt the ward patients were ‘safe’, however we could improve our communication regarding patients within the ward. While the charge nurse would be aware of the wider issues, such as investigations or treatment escalation, not every member of the team was aware of these issues. We identified that this lack of awareness could have a detrimental effect on the safety and the experience of our patients. The clinician-led acute patient safety (CLAPS) meeting which helps teams to effectively assess, plan, implement and evaluate individualised patient care, was introduced in April 2014.
