Working quietly behind the scenes, the Care 24/7 team at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been investigating ways of providing integrated, seamless care to patients across all our hospital sites.

One of the priorities identified by the team has been the formalisation of the clinical handover process between teams and shifts, but what does this formalisation process involve? How can it make care more consistent and safe? What does it involve for staff?

Central to the successful change to clinical handover is the use of a standardised clinical communication tool – SBAR, but how does it work, what benefits can a standardised clinical communication tool bring to staff and the handover process?

Formalising the handover process, using clinical communication tools, seems to bring benefit to both staff and patients, but what are the changes like and what impact do they have on staff? Can formalisation empower staff and ensure that their concerns are heard?

If you would like to know more about the SBAR clinical communication tool please visit;

http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/sbar_-_situation_-_background_-_assessment_-_recommendation.html

If you would like to find out more about Oxford University Hospitals please visit;

http://www.ouh.nhs.uk