England NHS expands 'red bag' program to reduce hospital stays, keep care home patients from losing items

The red bags contain key information forms which care home staff can quickly fill out if a resident needs to be rushed to hospital. It also holds medication and personal items like hearing aids, glasses, slippers and dentures. They’re handed to ambulance crews by carers and travel with patients to hospital where they’re then handed to the doctor. The program was launched three years ago in London and it has prevented unnecessary calls, items going missing and delays on discharge. In Sutton, south-west London, it saved over $830,000 previously spent on longer hospital stays and replacing lost personal items. The program’s now being rolled out to nine additional areas.