A CAMPAIGN aimed at keeping hospital beds free for those who really need them this winter has won a regional award.

The HelpingFlo campaign run by East Cheshire NHS Trust with local health and care partners won the final of Region’s Got Talent – a competition hosted by regulator NHS Improvement to share ideas and innovative ways of working across health trusts.

HelpingFlo was voted the best out of a pool of entrants by peers from across NHS Improvement’s North Region attending its Action on A&E programme.

Central to the campaign is a video featuring local NHS and social care staff explaining how patients and members of the public can help free up hospital beds for those who really need them, via five top tips and a fictitious patient called Flo.

Flo is an elderly patient currently waiting in A&E because no beds are available in the wider hospital, despite a number of patients in those beds being ready for discharge. Flo appears at key points in the video, which highlight the five top tips for freeing up hospital beds.

The five top tips are as follows.

Don’t assume you/ your relative will be admitted even if your GP refers you for urgent hospital assessment.

Please prioritise collecting your relatives or friends as soon as they are ready to be discharged.

Ensure you/your relative has the right footwear, clothes and essential belongings if they are admitted.

Please consider that ongoing care/assessment after leaving hospital may not be as close to home as you would like.

Please make sure all practical arrangements are in place for your discharge.

John Wilbraham, chief executive of East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted that the HelpingFlo campaign has received this great recognition.

“We now want as many people locally to watch the video to understand how they can help us to manage the challenges we can expect over winter and ensure that hospital beds are available for people who need them when they need them.”

The initiative is also being promoted on social media using the hashtag #HelpingFlo

The video can be accessed on the trust’s website, together with another video aimed at NHS and social care staff.