Leeds hospital trust in Covid-19 nursing care study

Scientists and nurses from across the country are being led by The University of Exeter to research nursing care for patients in hospital with Covid-19 after £430,000 was made available for a trial.

The ‘Covid-Nurse’ trial - funded by the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation - has been set up to evaluate the impact on patient experience of a combination of a number of nursing innovations.

Across the UK, clinical teams have innovated to meet challenges such as communicating with patients while wearing face masks and other PPE.

In one example, nurses have pinned pictures of themselves to uniforms, so patients know who is caring for them.

Enabling patients to continue to communicate with their loved ones, who have been unable to visit during the pandemic, has also led to nurses innovating using technologies and virtual means.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is among those taking part in the study, which includes patients as well as scientists from the universities of Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton and King’s College London among others.

Dr Heather Iles-Smith, Head of Nursing Research and Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Delivering high quality nursing care in the isolation environment, whilst wearing PPE, has needed nurses and care staff to work differently and develop new skills.

“We now need to understand what those innovations have been and what has worked well and what hasn’t, so that we can make sure that future patients continue to receive the very best possible care.”

David Richards, Professor of Health Services Research at the University of Exeter and a nurse himself, is leading the study.

He said: “Nurses are critical to patient experience and care. Nurses help people with eating, drinking, going to the toilet, skin care, moving, keeping clean, breathing, communication and mental wellbeing. We know many nurses have risen to the complex challenges of caring for people with Covid19 in innovative ways.

"This study will help us establish what has proved effective, so that innovations that benefit patients can be rolled out.”