The general public, staff and patients of Llandough Hospital, the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff are being encouraged to get up, get dressed and get moving on Monday 2 March, with the support of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

The Health Board, which is home to nine hospitals and over 250 community services, is encouraging inpatients to remain active and dressed each day they're in a hospital, in a bid to aid a speedier recovery, reduce the risk of falls and result in an earlier discharge home for patients.

To help explain the benefits of being mobile and dressed when in hospital, the Health Board is organising an event split over two of their sites; From 3 pm - 5 pm in the Plaza at the University Hospital Llandough and from 10 am - 3 pm in the Concourse at the University Hospital at Wales, which is open to the general public, current patients and their families and friends.

Helen Starkie, Occupational Therapist at Cardiff and Vale UHB, said, "We're delighted to hold these two events to highlight the importance of being mobile and dressed on our wards. Research has shown 10 days of bed rest in hospital leads to the equivalent of 10 years of ageing in the muscles in people over the age of 80."

"With astounding statistics like these, it's important that our patients keep moving around the ward, even if it's just walking to the toilet, sitting up for meals or eating and drinking unaided if possible. We also ask for visitors to support where they can by bringing in clothes and shoes for their loved ones, not just pyjamas."

As part of the event, participants will be greeted by staff dressed in their pyjamas, who will go through the benefits and facts of hospital mobility, as well as buy a cake from the sale with all proceeds going to the Cardiff & Vale Health Charity.

The Health Board has trialled this project before, partaking in Professor Brian Dolan's End PJ Paralysis project which involved Health Boards across the UK. The 70-day project, which ran from April – July 2018, saw Cardiff and Vale UHB supporting 6,162 patients to get dressed and 7,613 patients to be mobile.

"During the 2018 challenge, we saw a reduction in falls, bedsores and patients' length of stay as a result of the campaign. Feedback from patients explained how moving and being dressed helped give them a different outlook and the next stage of their life back", concluded Emma Swales, Senior Staff Nurse, Nephrology and Transplant, UHW.

During the Monday event, visitors will also be asked to share their tips on how patients can move more around the hospital.