The Patient Safety and Quality Forum at Noble’s Hospital has today launched a hydration campaign aimed at encouraging patients, visitors and staff to keep hydrated. It’s hoped the campaign can be used to educate the public on the health benefits of staying hydrated, particularly for those who are in-patients at Noble’s Hospital. The two week campaign has already gone beyond the walls of Noble’s Hospital, with the Island’s 11 to 14 year olds (school years seven – nine) being asked to get involved with a ‘Caption Competition’ which challenged pupils to come up with wording for a cartoon sequence featuring the campaign’s logo and mascot Mr Hydrator, which was designed by a public representative member of the Patient Safety and Quality Forum. The winner’s caption has now been made into a T-Shirt and the artwork will be used around Noble’s Hospital over the next fortnight, to promote the benefits of hydration. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, who was on hand at Noble’s Hospital to launch the campaign, had this to say, “The importance of being well hydrated really cannot be understated. The evidence to hand on the health and wellbeing benefits that drinking plenty of water brings are quite astonishing; it may sound simple, but it works. It’s sometimes the smaller, less obvious and basic considerations that can make all the difference to a person’s wellbeing and recovery. Of course, it’s not just our patients, but also our staff we need to encourage to keep hydrated as they carry out their duties, and of course the wider public, such as visitors to Noble’s Hospital.” The campaign, which will run from 15th November – 28th November, will also see water bottles handed out to each child admitted to the Children’s Ward, which will feature the Children’s Ward logo. Mrs Janet Bailey, a public representative and Chair of the Patient Safety and Quality Forum outlined the health benefits of keeping hydrated, “I think many of us are aware that it’s important and a good idea to keep hydrated for a number of reasons, whether to simply improve how alert we are, reduce headaches or to improve our skin – but when you dig down, some of the less obvious health benefits really are quite remarkable. Being hydrated can reduce pressure sores in hospital, because hydration improves the skins ability to act as padding between bones and a hospital bed; it reduces the chances of developing a blood clot by thinning the blood; and significantly improves mental performance and helps reduce confusion and the risk of trips and falls particularly for the elderly. “So you can see, whilst a hydration campaign may not sound like cutting edge medical science, getting the message out and helping patients and the public to understand the profound impact that just drinking plenty of water can have on preventing conditions that can lead to, or result in, prolonged hospital treatment and the suffering and cost associated with it, can make a real difference.” Beverly Critchlow, Chief Nurse for the Isle of Man and Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Professional Development at Noble’s Hospital explained how the campaign came about “This follows on from work the Hospital’s Nutritional Action Group had carried out as part of the Royal College of Nursing’s wider ‘Nutrition Now Campaign’. I think it’s important that we encourage the public at large to understand the benefits of hydration. From a care point of view here at Noble’s Hospital, we very much encourage patients to drink plenty of water, with filled jugs and glasses readily available at each bed. Of course it’s not just patients, but also our staff and the wider public with whom we want to raise awareness – by the time you realise you’re thirsty, usually felt at 0.8 - 2 per cent dehydration, mental function may be affected by as much as ten per cent. Mental performance deteriorates progressively as you become more dehydrated.” “Water frequently gets overlooked by people as one of the six basic nutrients along with carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins and minerals – these are just as important as medicines and other treatments. We’re taking the message to the wards and the public to educate them on the real benefits of being hydrated. My advice is to ensure that you always take time to have a drink of water – it can make a real difference to your performance at work or in your day to day life and brings with it a wide array of health benefits.” Material on hydration will be on display in wards and in public areas of Noble’s Hospital over the next fortnight, including a display in the main foyer produced by Student Nurses based at Noble’s Hospital and the Patient Safety and Quality Forum. There’ll also be a display in the staff dining room where the catering team will sport hydration campaign t-shirts. - ENDS -