Hospitals offer care bags to cut patient stress
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation TrustPatients with learning disabilities are being offered care bags to help reduce their distress while attending hospitals.
The initiative at emergency departments at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton has been designed for patients who find the environment stressful and overwhelming.
Each bag contains fidget items, noise-cancelling earphones, eye masks, sensory chew bracelets and colouring pencils.
Specialist nurse Elizabeth Dixon said those with learning disabilities or autism struggle in busy emergency departments and the bags could "improve their experience".
"As well as providing patients with useful resources to reduce the stress of being in a hospital environment, the care bags also contain information to empower the patient during their journey in our care," she said.
According to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, people with learning disabilities are more likely to attend an emergency department and often have complex, co-occurring health conditions.
Gemma Crooks, nurse advisor for adult safeguarding and learning disability, said: "Patients with learning disabilities often face much higher levels of anxiety during an unexpected hospital visit.
"By providing immediate comfort items like noise-cancelling earphones and sensory items we are actively reducing that distress and making healthcare more accessible."