NURSING teams at Airedale Hospital have introduced an innovative yet simple approach to reduce the risk of dehydration in their patients – all with a red cup.

More than 500 red cups, funded as part of a grant from NHS England, are being sent to all wards in the Steeton hospital. They will be given to patients staying on wards who are at risk of not drinking enough, to signify to other healthcare staff that they need extra support and encouragement to drink.

Dehydration affects both physical and mental health. It is recommended that people should drink around six to eight glasses of water or two litres per day.

Arlene Beausire, infection prevention nurse at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There are lots of reasons why people don’t drink enough when they come into hospital, when you’re feeling poorly you don’t always feel motivated to drink, they might have communication difficulties or it can be because of dementia, where patients might not recognise when they are thirsty or it could be people who are sedated or drowsy that might need reminding of the need to drink.

“We only need to lose one percent of water from our body to start to experience problems. These cups will alert any staff on the ward, it doesn’t have to be nursing staff, so they can just encourage the patient to drink whenever they need it. Every little sip helps.”

The new red cups complement the red tray system the trust already provides, to identify patients that need help with eating.