RUH Bath patients to benefit from new mouth care boxes
Patients at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust are receiving improved care thanks to new mouth care boxes.
The initiative, led by Matron Erin Houlihan and Senior Dental Nurse Lorraine Forrester, aims to enhance patient well-being by providing essential oral hygiene tools and training for staff.
Each ward now has a mouth care box containing various toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The project was funded by the RUH's Innovation Panel, which supports staff in developing innovative ideas to improve patient care and experience.
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Forrester emphasized the importance of oral hygiene, noting its impact on nutrition, hydration, comfort and communication.
'Good oral hygiene is so important but it is one of the things that many patients can overlook if they are staying at the hospital,' Forrester said in a statement.
'Poor oral health has an impact on nutrition, hydration, comfort and communication so it's important that staff have the training and resources they need to support patients with mouth care.'
Staff have been trained to assist patients with brushing their teeth and using pen torches to check for any oral concerns.
The initiative has reportedly been successful, positively impacting patients' experiences during their hospital stay.
The RUH provides a wide range of services, including medicine, surgery, accident and emergency services, and specialist services for rheumatology, chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.
The hospital acquired the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in 2015 and Sulis Hospital Bath in 2021, enabling them to provide more care for NHS patients and private care for those who choose it.
The new Dyson Cancer Centre at RUH serves as a hub for cancer services for over 500,000 people in the South West.
It includes oncology, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services, a 22-bed inpatient ward, a dedicated pharmacy, research team and nuclear medicine and physics teams.
A key feature of the centre is the Macmillan Wellbeing Hub, a three-storey facility designed to provide a welcoming, non-clinical space for patients and their families.
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It also offers comfortable accommodation for relatives and loved ones to stay overnight.
The RUH works closely with other health and care organizations as part of the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board.
Their goal is to improve the health and well-being of the community by collaborating to create one of the healthiest places to live and work.
The hospital is rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
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