Nursing times
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The National Patient Safety Agency reported 152,000 falls in England and Wales in acute hospitals in 2009, 26,000 in mental health trusts and 28,000 in community hospitals. The number of falls is due to rise in line with increasing numbers of older and frail people who have more complex health needs. Many of these falls are preventable; the challenge for the NHS is to improve patient safety while protecting independence patients' rights to make informed choices.
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Despite its importance in end of life care, spiritual care is poorly addressed. This article presents the results of an innovative service in which nurses notify hospital chaplains of all patients placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway and the chaplains then visit to offer spiritual support to both patients and their carers. Nurses reported that the service was valuable not only for patients and their families but also for themselves and the whole clinical team. All nurses said they wanted the service to continue.