The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) has launched a new campaign to help patients have a better night’s sleep while they are in hospital and a better experience in the Trust’s care.
Helping you Sleep Healthier (HUSH) is a new initiative at the Trust which introduces a ‘Hospital at Night’ mode, with small changes to minimise noise at night, including lowering voices, dimmed lighting, and reducing the usage of electronic devices/deactivating sound.
Emma Harrison, Patient Experience and Public Involvement Lead at QEH, said: “We know from feedback that we get from patients, including via surveys, that if we can reduce noise at night this would have a positive impact on the experience of our patients.
“Sleep is important for recovery and general wellbeing, and it is therefore essential that we are all doing what we can to help our patients to sleep whether it is turning off lights at an agreed time, keeping our voices down or turning the volume down on ward phones. Patients can help us and other patients too by turning off their electronic devices or switching these to silent mode.
“Hospital environments are by their nature busy but that is not to say that we can’t do our best to support our patients to have a good night’s rest to help them to recover from their reason for being in hospital and benefit their overall wellbeing.”
Dr Steve Green, Clinical Psychologist, at QEH said: “The benefits of good sleep are well documented. While an occasional poor night is unlikely to have any long-term consequences, just one bad night can negatively affect thinking, memory, and emotional wellbeing. For patients staying in hospital over a long period of time, repeated episodes of poor sleep, exacerbated by night time noise and ward practices, can begin to have a detrimental effect on health and recovery.”
For more information please contact QEH Communications at communicationsqeh@qehkl.nhs.uk
–ENDS–
Download the press release here.
QEH Media Hub 