Posters

Introduction National guidance mandates delirium/cognitive screening for all older hospital patients (aged >65 years) with onward referral to memory services for suspected dementia. However, barriers between hospital and community services may impact this pathway. The Oxford University Hospitals physician/geriatrician-led memory clinic takes “internal” referrals directly from local secondary care services as well as from GPs. We determined the characteristics of this memory clinic population including referral route and degree of multimorbidity. Methods In a retrospective study of patients

Introduction Frailty affects around half of older adult inpatients and is associated with higher mortality. Newly qualified doctors are expected to recognise frailty and deliver end-of-life care (EOLC) but report low confidence due to limitations in undergraduate clinical exposure. We developed a simulation-based quality improvement project (QIP) to strengthen medical student confidence in recognising frailty and managing patients approaching the end of life. Method Using the Model for Improvement and three iterative Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycles, we designed and refined simulations for

Introduction Signing off investigation results is essential to ensure timely and safe patient care. Missed results contribute to adverse patient outcomes and duplication of work. GGC Healthboard moved to electronic sign off of results in 2021; compliance has been poor. Project Aim: 80% of patients in the older patient's wards will have all results signed off within 48 hours of publication. Method Using PDSA methodology we tested several change ideas over 10 months: Creation of standard operating procedure with clear roles for residents and consultants. Shared via email, SharePoint and posters

Background: Frailty is associated with increased healthcare costs, accounting for over £5.8 billion annually in the UK (1). Frail adults experience higher rates of hospital admission, yet these patients often receive delayed assessment and specialist review. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and early geriatric involvement have been shown to improve outcomes, including reduced length of stay (LOS) and readmission rates. In September 2025, a district general hospital serving over 250,000 residents, with an above-average population aged over 85 years (2), established its first dedicated

Introduction: Fragility fractures are common: 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men will sustain a fragility fracture in their lifetime. The majority occur in older adults age >65. They are costly for the patient and for the NHS - estimated £4.7 billion per year. Guidelines for primary prevention of fragility fractures recommend use of risk assessment tools like FRAX to direct need for pharmacological treatment, alongside optimisation of vitamin deficiencies and lifestyle factors. The aim of this project was to improve the proportion of patients presenting to the geriatric ward with a fall without an

Introduction Frailty FIRST is a community led project aimed at getting frail older adults back to their own homes with support and engaging community services to try and prevent further admissions. Last winter long ambulance waits and ED stays increased which has the biggest impact and harm on our frail older adults. Many of them could have been managed in the community and along with putting measures in place to try and reduce conveyances we used community in-reach into ED to get patients out on to Virtual Ward. This developed to include early discharge with consultant review and CGA at home

Title Implementing a Comprehensive Oncofrailty Service Across a Regional Cancer Centre: Early Outcomes from UHSussex Background The ageing population is driving a substantial increase in the number of older adults living with cancer. Frailty is associated with poorer treatment tolerance, increased healthcare utilisation and worse clinical outcomes. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is recommended to support treatment decision-making and optimise outcomes for older people with cancer, yet access to dedicated oncofrailty services remains variable. In 2026, University Hospitals Sussex NHS

Introduction: Urinary catheterisation is a common intervention within the NHS. As with all medical interventions, there are associated risks, including infection, which may have a greater impact on older patients. Careful stewardship of catheter care is essential to prevent complications and maintain patient safety. However, there is a lack of clear national guidelines regarding catheterisation within the UK to support healthcare professionals. Aim: Improve documentation of urinary catheters and reduce the number of catheter-associated complications within two geriatric medicine wards of a

Introduction Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HIOW) delivers a Hospital at Home (H@H) service providing acute care to patients with complex needs within the community. While physiological acuity is routinely assessed using tools such as NEWS2, these measures do not fully capture the objective complexity, dependency, and resource requirements of the H@H population. Robust assessment of acuity and complexity—and their translation into workforce planning—is essential to ensure safe, effective, and equitable care. This evaluation aimed to explore how acuity and

Introduction Intrinsic Capacity (IC), a concept proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), refers to the combination of an individual's physical and mental abilities. However, IC’s latent structure may vary across populations and measurement approaches, where frameworks derived elsewhere may not generalise well. Based on underlying domains of IC-related measures in an Asian older adult population, we developed an IC index, and evaluated its association with frailty. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from community screening events involving adults aged ≥50 years

Introduction Inpatient falls provide an opportunity to identify older people at increased risk of future fragility fractures and optimize bone health. Local practices suggested that fracture-risk assessment following inpatient falls was inconsistent. We audited compliance with NICE CG146 recommendations regarding fracture-risk assessment following inpatient falls and evaluated the impact of an educational intervention. Method Two data collection phases were conducted across five geriatric medicine wards. Patients sustaining an inpatient fall were identified through the DATIX incident reporting

Introduction Accurately identifying frailty at the front door is vital for guiding patient-centred care and Advanced Care Planning (ACP). Our quality improvement project set out to evaluate how effectively we assess frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) in patients over 65 admitted to Care of the Elderly (COTE) wards, looking specifically at completion rates, assessment timing, and ACP documentation. Method We first collected baseline data retrospectively for 35 frail patients admitted to COTE wards between December 2025 and February 2026, reviewing their records for CFS scores and

Introduction Delirium heavily impacts older adults undergoing emergency surgical admission, where perioperative stressors introduce a critical need for screening. The 4AT is a validated tool for rapid assessment. Whilst screening is robust in medical take, surgical compliance remains poor. This QIP aimed to improve 4AT compliance and reduce time to screening for older people aged ≥65 across the acute surgical take. Methods A baseline audit evaluated older individuals aged ≥65 admitted via the surgical take. Cycle 1 was run over 6 days, introducing computer bezel stickers in clerking areas and

Introduction National guidance recommends that resuscitation status is reviewed whenever a patient’s clinical circumstances change, including on readmission. At The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, if patients with previous Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions are re-admitted, they are considered to be “for resuscitation” thus they need to be reassessed on readmission. The Trust wished to encourage early review for people with previous DNACPR status, so as part of a re-design of the electronic process for DNACPR and treatment escalation plan (TEP), the Trust

Introduction The Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) form supports advance care planning by documenting wishes for emergency treatment. This is particularly important for patients living with frailty who are susceptible to deterioration and loss of decision-making capacity. Documentation of ReSPECT status on admission is often missed. This project aimed to improve ReSPECT documentation during emergency general surgical clerking, and determine how often existing ReSPECT forms are going unnoticed. Additionally, documentation was analysed for patients with a

Introduction: Patients make different decisions when well informed, which is why shared decision making (SDM) should be at the forefront of healthcare 1 . Recently updated Academy of Medical Royal Colleges guidance for writing directly to patients ‘Please write to me’ 2 highlights the importance of SDM and giving the patient a written summary. In our Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) at The Western General in Edinburgh, we wanted to evaluate how well we were incorporating SDM into our practice and learn from service users as to what they would like to see in a summary. Method: We used

Introduction Current NICE guidelines recommend urgent specialist assessment of patients with suspected transient ischaemic attack (TIA), to confirm or refute the diagnosis. However, in practice, many patients may have an alternative diagnosis. At Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust (LTHT), patients with atypical features who are triaged as less likely to have a TIA may be referred to HOTTIA clinic. Understanding referral patterns and diagnostic outcomes may help identify patients better suited to alternative clinical pathways. Method A retrospective review conducted of patients in HOTTIA clinic

Introduction There is growing evidence that proactively intervening in frailty improves outcomes, though some have concerns about implications for GP workload. This project aimed to establish an integrated community neighbourhood health approach to proactively support adults living with frailty whilst minimising additional GP input. Methods General practice, Sussex Community Foundation Trust, Adult Social Care and VCSE organisations Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove and Hangleton and Knoll Project worked together to deliver a modified-Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to adults aged 65

Introduction Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) is an increasingly utilised model supporting admission avoidance while providing an opportunity for multidisciplinary comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). One of they key aims of this is to shift focus from the acute hospital setting to the community and to support Neighbourhood Teams by communicating care needs through discharge summaries. Methods A quality improvement project was undertaken on an acute frailty unit (frailty SDEC). Baseline data were collected for 30 consecutive patients attending the unit over one month. Documentation

Introduction Strokes predominantly affect older adults, in whom atypical presentation, cognitive impairment and unwitnessed symptom onset may contribute to a delay in recognition. Timely access to neuroimaging is essential, as the benefit from thrombolysis is strongly time dependent. The National Stroke Service Model recommends neuroimaging within 20 minutes of hospital arrival. We aimed to improve the proportion of patients with suspected strokes meeting this standard at Sunderland Royal Hospital. Method We undertook a two-cycle quality improvement project. Our baseline measurement consisted