Alertive, a leader in clinical communication, has launched a solution for improving patient safety by helping clinicians respond more quickly and effectively to patient deterioration. Developed in partnership with West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Deteriorating Patient Alerts use an integration with the Trust’s Electronic Patient Record (EPR) to automatically trigger escalation alerts based on observation data like NEWS2 scores.
Delayed escalation of deteriorating patients remains a significant national patient safety concern, with 65 percent of serious incident investigations citing failure to escalate or respond to deterioration (HSSIB). Despite clinical expertise, systemic reliance on unclear or manual processes, memory, and individual judgement often hinders timely intervention.
By identifying elevated scores and instantly routing structured, real-time notifications to the right clinical roles, Alertive’s solution breaks down those barriers and supports earlier intervention, clearer accountability, and stronger compliance with escalation policies.
During a pilot in West Hertfordshire’s Acute Assessment Unit, the average response time to high alerts dropped to under six minutes, with 100 percent of escalations meeting the required intervention timeframe. As a result, the Trust recorded a significant decrease in unplanned admissions to Critical Care from the pilot ward. In addition to improved clinical outcomes, staff also reported a better experience, with clearer escalation pathways creating a cultural shift that improved multidisciplinary collaboration.
The pilot has since been shortlisted for the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2025, in the category of Patient Safety Pilot Project of the Year.
Following this success, the technology is expanding Trust-wide and has drawn interest from other NHS organisations aiming to standardise escalation pathways, reduce delays in care and improve patient safety.
Kevin Douglas, CEO of Alertive, commented:
CEO
This is a meaningful step in our commitment to making a difference for healthcare staff and their patients. It’s been a pleasure to co-design this solution with the forward-thinking team at West Hertfordshire, whose dedication to patient safety and staff experience has been instrumental. Together, we have developed a solution that enables earlier intervention to prevent deterioration, giving clinicians the clarity they need to act quickly and with confidence.
