What happened when we went decaf
A pilot scheme to test the impact of serving decaffeinated tea and coffee to patients is enjoying the taste of success.
Last year Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust launched the project and after initial findings proved positive, it has now been expanded to collect more feedback.
Here is their latest update:
Background
Across our hospitals in Northumberland and North Tyneside, decaf (decaffeinated) drinks are not routinely offered to patients during drinks rounds.
However, a wide range of our specialists agreed that there could be different benefits to making decaf drinks the norm. A key one is a potential reduction in patients falling as they try to go to the toilet.
Therefore, we ran a pilot in May 2024 to discover the impact on reduced falls, and patient and staff experience.
What did we do?
The pilot aimed to target those patients at risk of incontinence and falls. This was based on data showing that more than a quarter of slips, trips and falls in our hospitals were due to toileting, especially at night.
It took place in wards at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Wansbeck and Hexham General Hospitals, Blyth Community Hospital, plus a care home.
We did not want to limit people’s choice, so hot drinks with caffeine were still provided on request. But staff explained to patients the benefits of switching to decaf. Ward and care home staff were supported by clinical educators from our EnCOP (Enhanced Care for Older People) team and the lead for community continence.
What did we find?
A taste the difference test had a mixed result. Both in terms of who could taste the difference between drinks with and without caffeine, and taste preferences.
However, when they knew the benefits, more than 85% said they would go decaf.
With a strong caveat, due to many uncontrolled variables and other factors, the other findings were very positive:
- 11% decrease in toileting falls overall
- More than 75% reduction in falls on 2 wards
- 50% drop in care home falls
- 40% reduction in overnight incontinence at the care home
Notably, all the pilot areas chose to continue with a decaf by default offer after the pilot.
Informal feedback from staff suggested there were sustained benefits for improved sleep and reduced agitation.
What’s happening now?
We have extended the scheme into five more wards, including in our community hospitals at Alnwick and Berwick. This project is running from January to March 2025.
This time, we are collecting more formal feedback from patients and staff. We are also looking at other aspects such as sleep and delirium screening.
When we have this information, the next steps will be looking at how we can extend the benefits across our hospitals, into the community and beyond.
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