Posters

Background Current practice for acute delirium presentation is hospital admission whilst the delirium resolves, often including multiple transfers with poor outcomes. This project challenges this practice and allows people to recover at home with a maximum of 6 calls a day and night with carers trained in delirium. Results From a previous audit of Pathway 2 beds patients with delirium had poor outcomes, high levels of placement in permanent care and long lengths of stay (21 days). There have been 192 episodes of care through the Delirium Pathway.80% were from hospital wards and 20% stepped up

Introduction Frailty is associated with an increased risk of perioperative complications, prolonged hospital stay, and functional decline after surgery. Despite the potential advantages of early detection, frailty screening of surgical patients is not standard practice across the UK. Digital questionnaires may offer an effective tool for screening large patient populations; however, there is concern that this is biased when used in frail or elderly patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of digital screening in patients aged 65 and over who are awaiting

Introduction: Frailty presents significant challenges to healthcare systems, particularly in Thurrock, Essex, where 14% of residents are aged 65 or older. This demographic shift, combined with socioeconomic factors, highlights the need for patient-centred, clinically effective, and tailored healthcare services that prioritise patient safety. Aim: To improve frailty management for elderly patients in Thurrock by integrating pharmacist support within a nurse-led service. The initiative focuses on improving medication management, alleviating workload pressures, and providing holistic care to

Background Recent advances in skeletal muscle biology have identified multiple potential candidate therapeutic interventions for sarcopenia. A systematic approach is needed to prioritise the most promising interventions for early-phase clinical studies. Methods A multidisciplinary team with expertise in sarcopenia, early-phase clinical trials, and geriatric medicine sought to identify target product profile (TPP) and intervention selection tools for neuromuscular conditions. As none were identified for sarcopenia, the group then developed a sarcopenia TPP. An algorithm was created to select

Background Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength and mass. It affects 10% to 27% of individuals aged over 60 and increases the risk of falls, hospital admissions, and early mortality. It costs the UK around £2.5 billion annually in healthcare. Currently, no approved pharmacological treatments exist—this horizon scan aimed to identify early-stage trials testing potential interventions to prevent, delay, or treat sarcopenia. Methods Five databases were searched: PubMed, MedRxiv, BioRxiv, ClinicalTrials.gov, and UK Research Funding Successes. We included studies reporting

Introduction Prior stroke is one of the biggest risk factors for future stroke events. Secondary prevention medications are key to reducing subsequent vascular events, and guidelines recommend use of antithrombotics, antihypertensives and lipid lowering drugs. We carried out a retrospective study of adherence to these medications in a post stroke population. Methods Consecutive patients admitted with acute stroke to a Dublin hospital between July 2022 and November 2023 were invited to participate. Participant interviews were carried out at 1 year post stroke, including demographic and clinical

Introduction Hearing and vision impairment are associated with cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults. There is limited public understanding that modifying these risk factors can reduce the risk of dementia. In previous studies 36% of older adults have not had a vision assessment and hearing aids are thought to be underused. This study aimed to increase the understanding of patients attending a memory service of the link between cognition, vision and hearing impairment and encourage participants to have future eye and hearing assessments. Method A video was developed with patient

Introduction Frailty-attuned acute hospital care is a vital component of integrated services for older people. The NHS Long Term Plan requires hospitals with major emergency departments to deliver 70 hours of acute frailty services each week. Workforce limitations often prevent services from meeting this target and expanding. Geriatric specialist registrars (SpRs) must gain experience in acute frailty so that the consultant workforce of the future can meet patient needs effectively. St Thomas' Hospital (STH) Acute Frailty Service expanded hours of operation through the introduction of a

Introduction Effective communication between primary and secondary care teams is essential for providing continuity of care in the community for older people with frailty. Discharge summaries often lack information captured in a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Junior members of the team, tasked with writing discharge letters, have not been formally taught in this area. This project aimed to incorporate key CGA domains into discharge summaries. Methods The geriatric medicine department at Broomfield Hospital and community mid virtual frailty team identified 7 core CGA domains for

Introduction With the emergence of disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there is an increasing emphasis on the earlier detection and diagnosis of AD. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampled using lumbar puncture (LP) can be used to establish a biological diagnosis of AD. One potential obstacle to the widespread adoption of CSF biomarkers for AD diagnosis has been a perceived association with poor patient tolerability and safety of LP. LPs have been undertaken within our Geriatrician-Led Memory Service since May 2022. Patients are provided with a written information sheet prior

Abstract Content - Background The Major Trauma Audit is a national clinical audit managed by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA), that captures data of patients with life threatening or life changing injuries. It has been publishing annual reports since 2014. Methods; Originally established using the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) methodology now entitle National Major Trauma Registry in the UK. Results: In 2024 a focused report from 2017-2021 on older adults was published as this is the largest group of patients in the major trauma population (51%, n=11,145). 56% of patients

Abstract Content - Introduction The Irish Hip Fracture Database (IHFD) is a national clinical audit managed by the National Office of Clinical Audit, that measures the quality of care and outcomes of hip fracture patients aged over 60 years. Annually there are 4000 hip fractures, the median age of a patient is 81 and 66% are female. 84% are admitted from home, 12% from a nursing home and 95% are caused by a low trauma fall. Methodology Data is collected through the Hospital In-patient Enquiry (HIPE) system. Care is measured against 7 clinical standards and two data quality standards and since

Introduction The occurrence of falls in adults 65+ years remains a common and costly issue worldwide. Exercise programmes that improve strength and challenge balance have been shown to be the most effective intervention for reducing falls in community-dwelling older adults, such as the 6-month Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme. Despite the pre-existing evidence base, the adoption of the FaME programme has been limited. Perspectives of multiple key stakeholder groups and providers of the FaME programme could future inform more successful adoption and implementation of fall prevention

Introduction: The Free-Cog is a brief cognitive test designed to capture decline in both general cognition and executive function. The Free-Cog has been validated by comparison with the Mini-Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination in a UK secondary care setting. Here, we compare Free-Cog to the routinely-used Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Physical Self-Maintenance Scales (PSMS). Methods: Patients from three memory clinics were recruited (n=318 records). The Free-Cog, MMSE, IADL and PSMS were administered in-person (n=288)

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurological condition characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, and postural instability. Weight loss within the first year of diagnosis is associated with poor prognosis. Studies suggest that if older adults lose skeletal muscle, their risk of falls and related injuries increases. Therefore, measures of body composition (e.g. muscle, fat) are important in PD, where the risk of falls is high. Established body composition analysis equipment is bulky and only used in research settings. We tested the reliability of a portable SECA mBCA 525

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative condition with a range of motor and non-motor symptoms. Early non-motor symptoms include constipation and orthostatic hypotension, while dysphagia is common in established PD. Previous work by our group showed that many people lose weight within a year of diagnosis. This study explored if fluid intake was also reduced in people with newly diagnosed PD. Materials and methods: We invited people with newly diagnosed PD (within six months of a diagnosis or longer if not requiring treatment) to join the study. Controls were

Introduction: Non-pharmacological de-escalation techniques are effective in managing agitated patients with delirium, yet are often overlooked in favour of pharmacological management. Sedatives are prescribed despite increased falls and extrapyramidal side effects. We used quality improvement methodology with the aim of reducing sedative use in older adults with delirium in an acute UK hospital. Methods: Utilising inpatient electronic prescribing records, we collected data on all patients aged ≥65 prescribed a sedative acutely during May 2022 in a 575-bedded acute district general hospital

Introduction Plasma 25(OH)D is commonly tested following hip fracture. The National Osteoporosis Society recommends against routine testing in these patients as vitamin D is often co-prescribed with anti-resorptive agents, making vitamin D testing unnecessary. Our median reporting time for plasma 25(OH)D is 11.5 days, costing around £7/unit. High dose, rapid vitamin D loading costs £1.34. So, is vitamin D testing in these patients cost-effective and does it add to our clinical decision-making? Method Records of 72 discharges from our ortho-geriatric unit over 3 months were reviewed for

Frailty is a growing concern, particularly for older adults attending Emergency Departments (EDs). Frailty accounts for 5-10% of all ED visits and up to 30% of acute admissions. The NHS mandates that hospitals with Type 1 EDs provide a minimum of 70 hours of Acute Frailty Services per week to address this challenge. At Salford Royal Foundation Trust (SRFT), a Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service was introduced to deliver rapid assessment and care for frail older adults, aiming to reduce hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes. This service operates five days per week and is

Title Evaluation of a new regional pathway for Medicines Optimisation in Older People (MOOP) medicines adherence pharmacist optimising medicines in older people referred by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) Authors & Provenance PCrawford1; SJohnston1; PGalbraith1; PTennyson1; CDarcy2; CMcGuigan2; KMiller3; JPatterson3; JAgnew4; JMcGennity4; HMcKee5; ACunningham5; CStevenson5; KBloomer6. MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service, Western Health and Social Care Trust MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service