Acute Life-Threatening Events Recognition Treatment - Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

The ALERT® course was developed in response to research showing that some in-hospital cardiac arrests, admissions to critical care units and even deaths might be avoidable if certain ‘warning signs’ are recognised and treated sufficiently quickly.

Patients often show early symptoms of clinical deterioration; sometimes for several hours before their condition becomes critical. However, these symptoms can remain undetected and / or be poorly treated by ward staff, who may be unaware of their potential significance. This kind of suboptimal care is frequently related to poor management of simple aspects of acute care.

Other important factors include:                

• Failures of organisation                    
• A lack of knowledge                        
• A failure to appreciate the clinical urgency of a situation        
• A lack of supervision                    
• A failure to seek advice                    
• Poor communication.

The ALERT® course was conceived and developed in 1999 at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. A flexible, multidisciplinary programme, ALERT® teaches healthcare staff how to anticipate, recognise and prevent critical illness at an early stage, offering them a structured, prioritised system of patient assessment and management. The course incorporates interactive seminars, practical demonstrations and role-play clinical scenarios and is supported by an e-learning programme, a comprehensive reference manual and a slide presentation.

Ten years on, ALERT® is licensed for delivery in more than 150 Centres in the UK and is now being adopted internationally. The benefits to patients and the NHS include:

• Improvements in the general ward care of patients
• A reduced number of cardiac arrest calls on general wards
• Earlier and more appropriate referrals to the Intensive Care Unit
• Fewer re-admissions to the Intensive Care Unit
• Fewer avoidable in-hospital deaths
• Improved decision making regarding the resuscitation status of patients
• Improved multi-professional teamwork
• Improved communication
• Fewer complaints from patients or their relatives
• Significant cost savings.

For more information or to enquire about running the ALERT® course in your institution, contact:

The Deteriorating Hospital Patient Unit,
TEAMS Centre, Queen Alexandra Hospital,
Portsmouth, United Kingdom, PO6 3LY.
Tel: +44 (0)23 9228 6000 ext. 5831
Email: TDHP@porthosp.nhs.uk