How purposeful admission supports more focused care
A project is aiming to make the care of our inpatients more purposeful and recovery focused.
The Purposeful Admission project, part of the Adult Patient Journey programme, has created a new way to make the reasons a patient has been admitted really clear. This helps staff to provide great care and help patients work towards their recovery.
Previously, there was no consistent or standard way to record the reasons why someone had been admitted to a mental health ward. As a result, vital information, such as what a person needed from their stay, or what might help them return home could be unclear or scattered across different systems.
The Purposeful Admission project is helping to change that. A new, straightforward form is now completed at the point of admission, capturing the reason for the inpatient stay, the goals that need to be achieved before discharge, and what community support has already been tried. This ensures that care is meaningful from the very start, with a clear focus on recovery and returning home safely.
The team at South Kingston Integrated Recovery Hub took this work a step further. Through a dedicated QI project, they embedded patients’ estimated discharge dates into the admission process and made community care plans easily accessible on the ward. These improvements have already supported more focused care, increased attendance at ward reviews, and helped staff spot and resolve barriers to discharge more quickly.
Leo Bell, Service Improvement Project Lead, said:
“This work aims to cut through complexity and focus on what really matters - making sure every admission is meaningful, planned, and geared towards getting people home as soon and as safely as possible. It’s a simple idea, but one that has the power to transform care across the whole system.”
Community Psychiatric Nurse Dee Poulter said:
“The Purposeful Admission Form will support the clear goals of the patient’s admission purpose, improve collaboration between teams, and promote patient-centred care. It will also identify barriers to discharge early which can reduce unnecessary inpatient stays and improve alignment of care between services.”
Lived Experience Practitioner D said:
“When a patient is admitted to hospital it can feel like a very uncertain time. So it is imperative that they have a clear and structured care plan whilst in hospital and when they are discharged to help stop re-admissions.”
This thoughtful approach highlights how even small changes in processes can have a big impact on patient care, helping to ensure that every admission is meaningful, focused, and aligned with the patient’s needs from day one.
