Turning the Tide: improving safety in intravenous fluid therapy

Giving too much fluid, too little fluid, or the wrong type of fluid can have serious consequences for patients. Improving how IV fluids are prescribed, administered and monitored is therefore an important patient safety priority.

Turning the Tide is a UK charity working to improve education and safety around IV fluid therapy. It brings together healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, nurses and doctors, to share expertise, promote evidence-based practice and support improvements in fluid prescribing and management.

Why does IV fluid safety matter?

IV fluids are medicines and should be treated with the same care as any other prescribed treatment. Their use requires an understanding of the patient’s clinical condition, fluid requirements and response to treatment, alongside regular review to determine whether therapy remains appropriate.

“IV fluids are often overlooked as simply a part of routine care, but in reality they are prescription-only medicines with a profound impact on patient outcomes. They should be afforded the same careful consideration, monitoring and stewardship as other prescribed medicines.  

Emma Boxall,
Chair of the UKCPA Critical Care committee

National guidance provides a framework for safe practice, but translating recommendations into consistent clinical care remains a challenge. Turning the Tide aims to address this through practical education, shared learning and support for local quality improvement.

Resources and opportunities to collaborate

The Turning the Tide website brings together educational resources, clinical guidance, research commentary and tools to support improvements in IV fluid care. These include NICE guidance, audit resources, templates and evidence updates to help healthcare professionals reflect on current practice and identify opportunities for improvement.

The charity offers free membership, providing access to a repository of shared resources and a moderated discussion board. Members can exchange ideas, seek advice, share learning from improvement projects and connect with colleagues working to improve fluid stewardship across healthcare.

The role of pharmacists

Pharmacists have an important contribution to make to safer IV fluid therapy. Their expertise in medicines optimisation, prescription review, monitoring and clinical education can help ensure that fluid therapy is appropriate, effective and regularly reassessed.

Working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, pharmacists can support better prescribing decisions, identify risks and contribute to the development of safer systems and local practice.

UKCPA has endorsed the charitable aims of Turning the Tide, recognising the shared commitment to education, clinical expertise and improved patient care. The endorsement creates opportunities to bring the organisations’ complementary expertise together, including through educational activities and resources for UKCPA members.

“This collaboration brings together the excellent training opportunities provided through UKCPA and the internationally renowned experts in fluid stewardship in Turning the Tide, to help pharmacists optimise the use of IV fluids across the UK.”

Alan Timmins,
Turning the Tide committee member & former member of the UKCPA Critical Care committee

Find out more

UKCPA members interested in developing their knowledge of IV fluid therapy, contributing to quality improvement or sharing their experience with colleagues are encouraged to explore the charity’s work.

Membership is free, offering an opportunity to connect with a multidisciplinary community committed to safer fluid care.

Find out more and explore the resources at fluids.info.