Interest in Legionnaires' chart

A system of charting a hospital patient's condition, which was trialled during an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease, is to be used nationwide.

About 140 people were infected during the outbreak in Barrow, Cumbria in August 2002 and seven people died.

Health bosses at Furness Hospital trialled a chart, which had previously only been used in intensive care.

It gave them early warning of when a patient's condition was deteriorating so doctors could be alerted.

Researchers at Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust developed the Physiological Observation Track and Trigger System (Potts) along with ward staff and critical care specialists.

Won award

It involves putting the monitoring of patients' vital signs all on one chart, when previously they would have been recorded on different charts.

The vital signs are recorded and accompanied by a score. Each score is added up and the higher it is, the more cause for concern and a nurse will alert a specialist sister or doctor.

Trust director of nursing Annie Buchanan said: "It has been trialled by our nurses before we decided to roll it out.

"It's been hugely successful and I think that's really what persuaded us and I think is persuading the rest of the country that we are on to a winner here."

The chart has been demonstrated at several national conferences and trusts from around the country have expressed an interest in it.

It won a regional National Patient Safety Agency award for best new service improvement.