Faster access to on-the-day care thanks to innovative partnership with London Ambulance Service
Patients with minor illnesses coming to North Mid via ambulance will be able to be treated by teams in its Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit from this week following the launch of an innovative new pathway.
The pathway will see London Ambulance Service (LAS) crews bring appropriate patients directly into North Mid’s Same Day Emergency Care Unit without the need to call ahead and discuss the patient with the SDEC consultant before bringing in. North Mid’s unit is designed care for people who can be seen, treated and discharged on the same day for minor illnesses, such as acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis and nitrous oxide toxicity.
The team have been working closely with representatives from LAS and North Central London Integrated Care Board on setting up this pathway ensuring that both have a good understanding of how our Same Day Emergency Care Unit can help and which are the most appropriate patients to bring in.
Not only will the new pathway help make sure more people are seen in a more appropriate place, it will also help:
- Reduce the number of people treated in our A&E department, meaning more people needing life saving treatment can be seen;
- Paramedics can get back on the road sooner thanks to faster handover of patients to hospital care;
- More patients can receive a medical review and appropriate investigations are booked and a treatment plan made on the same day.
Nick Vincent, general manager for emergency medicine at North Mid, said: “I’d like to thank the team and our friends and colleagues at London Ambulance Service for the huge amount of hard work that has gone into this. It’s so important that patients are treated in a place more suited for their medical needs and this new pathway is a very positive step in improving patient flow through our hospital, and in the development of the Same Day Emergency Care unit at North Mid.”
Alison Blakely, Director of Clinical Assessment and Pathways at London Ambulance Service, said: “Working with our partners at North Mid on this initiative will help to ensure that patients receive the right care in a timely way. It will also enable London Ambulance Service clinicians to respond to their next patient as quickly as possible and help reduce the pressure on the busy emergency department.”
North Mid is the first Trust in north central London to implement this pathway.