IMPROVING communication between nurses and patients in a busy accident and emergency department is earning plaudits for staff at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

The team that developing the ongoing Transforming Care at the Trolley (TCaT) project reached the final of the prestigious Nursing Times Awards, and their project poster won a Royal College of Nursing Emergency Care Conference award - but more importantly, patients have given it the thumbs up.

Senior A&E nurse Bev Cadman said TCaT builds on the ward-based Transforming Care at the Bedside project, with the focus on patient safety, quality nursing care, and patient and staff satisfaction.

One innovation is the installation of information boards for each patient trolley, so nurses can share details of treatment and care with the patient and relatives, giving them the chance to ask questions.

"This has increased the amount of time nurses spend with their patients," said Ms Cadman.

"Privacy and dignity are also high on our agenda. We now put privacy notices on the curtains as a reminder, and we've begun to use rigid dividers to separate patient trolleys, while curtains can be drawn at the end of the trolley. This offers greater security to patients and gives more privacy.

"As far as patient opinion goes, compliments have overtaken nursing complaints considerably. Staff have noticed the difference too. We now have a much more positive culture, with highly motivated staff and a better working environment."

Ms Cadman paid tribute to the whole TCaT team, particularly Sister Jess Arthurs, who she said has been "instrumental" in the project's success.