Patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath can now participate in a variety of activities to help them get out of bed, stay active, and recover more quickly.
Gemma Spicer, Quality Lead for Falls Prevention and Silas Mtisika, Therapy Assistant | Photo © RUH
The initiative aims to promote mental and physical wellbeing, which can have a significant impact on patient outcomes.
Reconditioning Games is a national project that encourages healthcare facilities to participate in various activities to promote patient mobility, prevent weakness and reduce the risk of falls.
Patients can participate in seated dancing, crafts, and balloon volleyball, among other activities.
By encouraging patients to be more mobile, healthcare professionals hope to reduce recovery times from illness or surgery.
The initiative also involves a reward system for participating organisations, with bronze, silver, and gold awards available based on the number of people involved in the activities and their success.
Gemma Spicer, Quality Improvement Lead for Falls Prevention at the RUH, said: “We know that getting patients moving and keeping them mentally stimulated really can make a difference to their recovery time.
“We always work hard to get our patients up and about, but the Reconditioning Games project is great fun to be part of and a number of our wards have already received gold awards for the great work they have been doing.
“We’ve seen first-hand the difference this has made to patients being discharged. Some have been able to leave us and get home sooner than expected, without needing to spend time in a local community hospital.”
The wards also have activity trolleys packed with games, puzzles, crafts and activity books which patients are encouraged to work on together.
Tammy Zalek, Midford ward Ward Manager, said: “We encourage our patients to sit outside of their bed at least once a day, starting with lunchtime.
“This has many positive outcomes, such as regular movement and activity, encourages better nutritional intake and promotes social interaction between patients.
“The activities we run include singing, dancing, balloon volleyball and bingo. Our patients have really enjoyed it and say how it helps to break up the normal day on a hospital ward.”
