What was the Clinical Practice Education Project?
The Clinical Practice Education Project was a training and mentoring project set up as a collaboration between Partners in Care and NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin which ran from August 2022 to December 2023. The project engaged with 20 care homes across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and was evaluated in July/August 2023.
Project Vision
To build the confidence and skills of care home staff in preventing and managing medical/health conditions that are common in older people, and sometimes result in admission to hospital.
Why was the project developed?
The project was developed with the aim of reducing admissions to hospital from care homes, focusing on hydration, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and falls. We offered a package of training and mentoring based on the specific needs of the staff within the target homes.
What was the training approach?
The Clinical Practice Education Project used a ‘whole home approach’, encouraging as many staff in each home as possible to attend each training session.
Impact of the Project
Across the project care homes, there was a reduction in UTI hospital admissions of 36% between April-September 2023 in comparison to April-September 2022. There was a general reduction in UTI admissions during this period of 25% across all other care homes in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
The average length of hospital stay for a UTI admission from the project care homes was 11 days. A 36% reduction in UTI admissions equals 12 fewer admissions. This amounts to 132 fewer hospital bed days over six months.
Quarterly UTI admissions went from 1.4 admissions per project care home in April-June 2022 to 0.9 admissions per project care home in July-September 2023.
There was a 42% reduction in the number of individuals receiving antibiotics for UTIs during July-September 2023 compared to the start of the project, suggesting improvements in the assessment and management of UTIs in the project care homes. This is a reduction of approximately one UTI per month per care home.
There was a strong relationship between involvement in the project and reductions in falls: a 25% reduction in total falls and a 45% reduction in hospital admissions due to traumatic injuries in the project care homes. This is a reduction of approximately three falls per month per care home.
For more information
For more information on the project, please contact Sophie Corbett, Care Quality Improvement Lead, at