Osborne Lodge Care Home in Hampshire & Adamscourt Care Home in Bournemouth, joined forces with the NHS to tackle dehydration in care homes. The innovative hydration project was so successful, the project won the Infection Prevention & Control Award at the National Nursing Times Awards in London.

The prestigious Nursing Times Awards hosted by celebrity Emma Willis, brought together over 1300 people from the nursing community to shine a light on the brightest and recognise those making nursing innovative, patient-focused and inclusive.

Osborne Lodge and Adamscourt care home, which form Vauxian Care Home Group, were selected as part of the NHS Dorset and Dorset Integrated Care Partnership Hydration project to pioneer a new programme to prevent and reduce infection in care homes. The project was an incredible success and will now be rolled out nationally.

Is dehydration a problem?

In older people, dehydration is far more common, with evidence suggesting a link to urinary tract infections (UTIs), where increased fluid intake significantly reduces the risk. Lack of hydration may result in increased confusion, infections such as UTIs, and consequent risk of falls. ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019-2024: The UK’s five-year National Action Plan (NAP)’ was published to reduce Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs) that cause UTIs and to reduce the use of antibiotics. Therefore, in response to this national initiative and given known increased GNBSIs in older people, this has prompted the development of a Dorset system-wide “Hydration, Nutrition, Continence and C. difficile” group.

A range of educational hydration resources were co-designed and co-produced with stakeholders in the form of educational leaflets providing simple, clear, and visual information about the importance and benefits of hydration, a variety of food, drinks, and fruit as well as some of the worries associated with fear of incontinence and increased risk of falls. Other resources included hydration banners, posters, and hydration tabards for staff presenting a visual message, “How do you like your CUPPA?” ensuring that residents were encouraged and offered drinks to their preferences. In addition, the resources were used to reduce UTIs and falls, aligned with the national ambition plan.

The Pilot

The pilot took place in 8 care homes, 6 wards in acute trust and 2 wards in community trust from April 2023. The team demonstrated excellent innovation and initiative, raising the importance of hydration among staff, residents ,patients and relatives by involving them in various hydration activities. Wards and Care homes reported reduction in falls requiring ambulance and UTIs requiring antibiotics. Our ambition is for all people in Dorset to benefit from hydration to promote thriving communities. At the end of the day, we are the community.

What did the Nursing Time Awards judges say about the project:

“The Dorset Hydration Project aims to improve hydration among older people, reducing urinary tract infections, falls, and antibiotic use, while supporting national goals on antimicrobial resistance. The judges were impressed by the initiative’s engaging, multidisciplinary approach and its clear benefits for patients, staff, and relatives. A fun and engaging project but with a serious message that was clearly focused on patient outcomes. The team’s passion and holistic vision left a lasting impact, making this innovative work a model for widespread adoption and transforming care across communities.”

Earlier in the year Adamscourt was also nominated for an award at the Palliative Care Awards and also the Gold Standard Frameworks ‘Care Home of The Year Award’ .

Beverly Harris, Regional Manager of Vauxian Care Home Group said “We are so proud of both care homes, they are a wonderful team of individuals who dedicate themselves to providing excellent care and a beautiful home life for our residents. We are delighted with this project and look forward to many more innovative projects” .