An NHS trust has agreed to pilot an innovative programme aimed at increasing the amount of time doctors and nurses spend directly caring for patients.

Bradford District Care Trust has signed up to take part in the Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care project and will review the practises on all of their wards, to see how best to improve the patient experience.

As part of the programme the trust will look at meals, shift hand-overs, medicines and ward rounds to establish how such tasks can be carried out more efficiently. If successful, the programme could see the introduction of new procedures for those in nurse manager jobs and other nursing roles.

Krishnakumar Nair productive ward project lead at the Care Trust told the Bradford Telegraph and Argus: "This programme looks at how we can be more efficient, identifying how information can be made more readily available for staff and working practises. It's often the small things that can have a big impact."

The Productive Ward programme will also be rolled out across mental health and learning disability organisations over the next 12 months. However the Heather Ward at the Airedale Centre for Medical Health, Assessment and Treatment Ward and Duchy Court which are both at Lynfield Mount Hospital will kick start the pilot later this month.

Nicola Lees, executive director of operations and nursing added: "As the programme is based on continual review and implementation, we are anticipating year on year benefits. Other Trusts who have rolled out the same programme have seen up to 50 per cent more time spent on direct patient care."