A SCHEME launched as a pilot across the district earlier this year has now been rolled out throughout West Yorkshire and nationally.

The Red Bag project was introduced in Bradford, Wharfedale and Craven in March and more than 100 health and social care professionals signed-up to the initiative.

The aim is to ensure that care home residents’ personal information and possessions remain with them if they’re admitted to hospital. Initially, 50 care homes were involved.

Anyone going into hospital takes one of the distinctive red bags with them.

It contains details of their health, medication and allergies, as well as personal items such as spectacles, pyjamas and hearing aids.

Paramedics and ambulance staff collecting the person from the home can quickly access the information. And once the patient is admitted, the bag provides a single, easily-identifiable place where items can be found.

The aim is also to help care home residents who are admitted to hospital be discharged quicker.

Every area of West Yorkshire has now adopted the venture.

Dr Adam Sheppard, chairman of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate urgent and emergency care programme, said: “It is great news that all our areas have implemented this straightforward, but important, scheme.

“It makes a huge difference to the care people receive.

“Having a person’s health information readily available saves time at each stage of the patient’s care, speeding up their treatment and potentially reducing the length of time they need to stay in hospital unless needed.

“With everything to hand, hospital staff don’t need to contact the care home to ask questions, which can be time consuming and could potentially delay treatment.

“It also means people have their essential items when they go to hospital, which is reassuring for them at what can be a distressing time.

“And patients are discharged back to the home with key information regarding treatment they have received, saving calls to the hospital.”

Rob Webster, for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, also welcomes the project.

He said: “One of the reasons we came together as a partnership was to implement good practice quickly across our region.

“The Red Bag pathway is a great example of the difference we can make when we work together.

“It is also evidence that some of the simplest ideas have the biggest impact.”