A pilot initiative which has markedly improved the lives of people in care homes in Lanarkshire has won a prestigious UK award.

The Care Home Continence Improvement project, developed by teams in NHS Lanarkshire and NHS National Services Scotland, triumphed in the highly-contested innovation category at the recent UK-wide GO awards which celebrate excellence in public procurement.

The Lanarkshire team were recognised by judges after setting out to improve patient experience by focusing on new approaches to continence care.

Research has identified incontinence as a risk factor that increases skin damage, infection and falls in older people.

The initiative allowed care home staff to improve the quality of care through better recording of processes and introducing small changes including medication reviews and reducing caffeine intake.

The outcomes of the initiative – piloted at Summerlee House in Coatbridge and David Walker Gardens in Rutherglen – has led to improvements including a reduction in falls by 65%, urinary infections being halved and skin damage reduced by one third. The project has also reduced the amount of continence pads used at the homes.

Work is underway to explore the wider implementation of the project. A film documenting the pilot project is available to view here: https://youtu.be/REOx5PNGTX4