Are you Sitting Comfortably?

'Always sit within the patient’s view, so that when you speak to him he has not painfully to turn his head round in order to look at you’
Florence Nightingale 1860

Patients come in all shapes and sizes and with different needs and abilties. The elderly feel the cold more than youngsters do and adults can sit still longer than children. So many hospitals have tried to offer schemes which allow for patients' individual comfort.

• 'Make in the mug' soups can make a change from tea or coffee and provide a welcome snack
• 'The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle has some great ideas', says grateful patient
• A box of labelled food in the ward kitchen can help a patient who is struggling to enjoy food
• A hug or a sqeeze can make all the difference
• A midwife offers some simple, but brilliant ideas for mothers in labour
• A simple smile can mean so much
• A supply of long straws by the bed help patients drink when they struggle to sit up
• Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center's beautiful grounds cheer patients during treatment
• Simple ideas can make a huge difference in care homes and nursing homes
• The Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre, Leeds - Complementary Therapies
• Alzheimer's Society explain how to understand and respect someone with dementia
• Aprons..... not plastic bibs
• Presentation of food is key to whetting the appetite
• Bed bathing - a gentle conversation can be reveal hidden worries and minimise embarressment
• 'StorkNet' gives a bedrest survival guide for pregnant mums
• Blankets can bring warmth and comfort to immobile patients
• Bringing your own pillow to hospital can make perfect sense (scents)
• British Geriatric Society launch campaign 'Do not forget the person'
• British Geriatric Society urge staff and relatives to keep older people's glasses sparkling clean
• British Geriatric Society urge staff to check that batteries work in older people's hearing aids
• British Lung Foundation offer Breathe Easy Support groups
• British Red Cross offer therapeutic care
• Changing the View
• Chatting to other visitors on the wards - one visitor's personal view
• Many patients may be reluctant to eat because their teeth or mouth are sore..but not everyone checks
• Chips from the chip shop can be great finger food and lift the spirits of long stay patients
• Clearly written notes, clearly displayed can help carers care for patients in the community
• Communication is often better if the nurse is at or below the eye line of the patient
• conkerrcancer.org is a project that delivers cheerful pillows to sick children in hospital
• Crossroads Care is the leading provider of support for carers and the people they care for
• Cruse Bereavement Care helps bereaved people cope with their loss
• Derby City General Hospital backs 'Professional Concern' to improve patients' basic care
• District Nursing Student shares her thoughts on foot care
• DIY foot spa can be a relaxing treat for some long term patients
• Dorset County hospital, Dorchester run a 'Diners Club' for stroke patients
• Dorset County Hospital Stroke unit volunteers make a huge difference
• Foot care is so important for any patient who may struggle to communicate
• Hand washing can make the world of difference to patients in bed
• Handwashing after meals is hygenic and restores the dignity of vulnerable patients
• Helping to run their care home dignifies many residents
• Holding hands brings great comfort to some patients
• Home-cooked food can help whet the appetite of a patient in hospital
• If a patient can't sleep...there may be a reason!
• Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust use Memory Suitcases to help patients with dementia
• Juliet Shaw, District Nursing Student offers her thoughts on care in the community
• Kind, reassuring words can make a huge difference to patient care
• Knitting and other simple skills help patients with dementia feel valued
• Letters of thanks to medical (or non-medical staff) who 'go the extra mile' are hugely appreciated
• Live film from local beauty spots helps calm patients in isolation wards at Dorset County Hospital
• 'Suite 101' gives advice on looking after a new baby at home
• Making connections can make patients feel more at home
• Motor Neurone Association helps people in many ways including access to wheelchairs
• Neonatal unit in Scotland provides thoughtful items for their babies
• New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton pioneers care for people with dementia
• New Shoes!
• Nil by Mouth signs should include date and time the fasting started
• Nurses offers advice relevant to all patients but especially the terminally ill
• Patients should be treated as guests
• New Newton Abbot hospital guarantees patients a room with a view
• Patients can help each other in so many ways
• Patients own books, magazines and toys reduce cross-infection and relieve boredom in waiting rooms
• Perfume makes a real difference
• Personal thoughts from a District Nursing Student following the loss of her father
• Pets as Therapy
• Pillows are to support the patient though, sometimes. the reverse is true!
• Political Correctness? There are moments when the best staff know it's best to ignore the rules!
• Pre-packed suitcase saves time and helps to maintain the dignity of an elderly patient
• Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil offers gentle entertainment to patients with cancer
• Project Linus brings comfort to sick children through beautifully hand-made blankets and quilts
• Regularly checking if a patient is happy with everything is so important
• Relatives and Residents Association encourage oral hygiene with 'Keep Smiling' campaign
• Royal Brompton Hospital's 'Modern Matron' thinks 'outside the box' to help long term patients
• Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital offer hand massages to stroke victims
• RS suggests ways of keeping the belongings of a patient more accessible
• SANE offers help via phone or email or a support system to anyone affected by a mental illness
• Pre-prepared sandwiches are a great snack for older people in care homes with unusual sleep patterns
• Seats of different heights and sizes bring comfort to patients with mobility problems
• Sensible advice on how to improve a hospital experience from someone who has seen it from all sides
• Shakespeare Hospice Volunteer drivers make a real difference
• Shoes and Slippers that fit correctly are so important for patients in hospital or care homes
• Cystic Fibrosis sufferer offers personal advice on making the best of a hospital stay
• Sister P's simple ideas make a huge diffence to patient care
• Washing bed-bound patients feet in warm water can be very theraputic
• Soaking parts of your body in water can delight a bed-bound patient
• Take-aways can be a great ,occasional, alternative to hospital food
• Taking time to understand a patient before treatment begins can make an enormous difference
• Broomfield hospital 'tape around beds' gives reassurance about cleanliness to patients
• Tea and biscuits can provide brilliant therapy
• Tea and coffee machines make communal areas of large residential homes more user-friendly
• The perfect tea or coffee
• The Queen's Nursing Institute launch campaign Right Nurse, Right Skills
• Derby's hospitals' Thoroughly Modern Housekeepers
• Thoughtful advice for a patient needing long term care for a leg ulcer
• Changing the way curtains are pulled back can hugely increase a patient's view
• University Hospital, Coventry's Memory Lane and Forget-me-not Lounge help patients with dementia
• Lip creams available by the bed can make a patient more comfortable
• Coffee and tea machines make communal areas in large residential homes more user-friendly
• Victoria Ward at Warwick Hospital use ski mittens to prevent patients removing naso-gastic tubes
• Visitors can sometimes be the best people to help support a patient during mealtimes
• Walsall College health and beauty students pamper patients at Walsall Manor Hospital
• The American 'Associated Content' website offers advice on Warmth and Coolness in hospital