All staff working in hospitals and care / residential homes are being urged to ‘Think Red Bag’ when preparing for a care / residential home resident to attend and return from hospital. 

The Red Bag works as a visual prompt to provide a central location for the transfer of information, appropriate medication, belongings and preferences of an individual. The bag is used if a resident is required to be transferred from their care / residential home to hospital.

The Red Bag Scheme operates in care and residential homes in Glasgow City and across Scotland, improving links between hospitals and care and residential homes. Using a red bag helps decision-making and management of the resident while in hospital and on discharge, promoting person-centred care.

The Red Bag contains:

• standardised information about the resident’s general health
• information on any existing medical conditions that they have
• any medication that they’re taking
• information highlighting any concerns around their health and
• any personal belongings that they may have (for example, clothes for discharge and while in hospital, glasses, hearing aids, dentures etc.).

The Red Bag stays with the resident at all points of their hospital journey. When residents are ready to go home, a copy of their discharge summary (which details every aspect of care that they received while in hospital) will be placed in the Red Bag so that care home staff have access to this information when the resident returns.

Alan Gilmour, Planning Manager, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said: “Care homes play a central role in supporting key Partnership strategic priorities, in particular early intervention and reducing unscheduled hospital admissions. The Red Bag aids better hospital discharge arrangements and better management of patient care in the most appropriate setting. After using the Red Bag our care homes reported fewer occasions of a resident’s paperwork, property and belongings going missing, and staff said that the Red Bag made it easier to manage paperwork as everything can be stored safely and securely inside. Overall the Red Bag Scheme has improved the management of unplanned admissions for both the resident and staff whenever they had occurred.”

 By everyone remembering to ‘Think Red Bag’ we’re helping to support our care home residents and the professionals caring for them in the best possible way.

What we need from you (staff)?

• Make sure the Red Bag information and leaflets are visible.
• Share the information with colleagues and explain that this is best practice.
• Ensure that the Red Bag stays with residents throughout their whole in-patient stay in hospital.
• Ensure to complete attached checklists to help make sure paperwork is returned to the Red Bag throughout the in-patient journey and prior to discharge.

If the Red Bag is not with a resident or is lost, please contact redbagenquiries@ggc.scot.nhs.uk urgently.