The Taste the Difference Challenge was developed by the Adult Continence Team and launched in 2021. The Challenge aimed to promote harm free care, by promoting decaffeinated tea and coffee to reduce urinary urgency, which can lead to rushing to the toilet and patients having a fall.
The Challenge is a simple idea which involves pro-actively offering decaffeinated tea and coffee to your patients, educating about the benefits particularly in relation to a more healthy bladder, and asking for patients feedback as to whether they can ‘Taste the Difference’ between caffeinated or decaffeinated, and whether they would switch knowing the health benefits?
The decaf challenge can be delivered in your place of work, be it on a hospital ward, care home, community group, staff room, and clinic and organised for a day, week, morning, afternoon, or just one tea round! It's about introducing patients to the benefits of decaffeinated tea and coffee, and improving patient's continence and improving bladder health.
Following the Taste the Difference Challenge in Leicester's Hospitals and patient feedback, which overwhelmingly voted for switching to decaffeinated tea and coffee because of the health benefits, Leicester's Hospitals now serve decaffeinated tea and coffee as default, with caffeinated tea or coffee served if requested.
The Taste the Difference Challenge is a growing movement which has gained national interest from other healthcare professionals across the UK. If you would like to pilot your own Taste the Difference Challenge and be a part of this exciting movement, then email: sarah.j.coombes@uhl-tr.nhs.uk to register your interest and to request a Taste the Difference Challenge Resource Pack.
