A partnership between DHU Healthcare and East Midlands Ambulance Service has been successful in reducing the number of Emergency Department (ED) visits in Derbyshire.
EMAS crews are using Derby and Derbyshire ICB's Single Point of Access (SPoA) through DHU’s Central Navigation Hub (CNH) to direct and support patients through alternative community-based pathways, avoiding ED or hospital admission where appropriate.
A collaborative awareness campaign in August resulted in 197 calls to the CNH, 160 patients received more appropriate care in other parts of the system including Urgent Care Centres, community response teams, pharmacies and GPs. Only 37 of those 197 patients required hospital based treatment at Chesterfield Royal or Royal Derby and Burton Hospitals ensuring more patients got the right care at the right place for them.
Supporting our partners
Kirsty Osborn is DHU’s Deputy Director of Urgent Care Derbyshire, she said: “It’s an incredible success, in August alone just over 80 per cent of ambulance patients referred via the CNH were directed to more appropriate care away from EDs. This helps to take the pressure off those departments, giving clinicians more time to concentrate their care on patients who need emergency, potentially life-saving treatment.
“This service has been available for a while, but it hasn’t been used to its full potential. Working with EMAS and Derby and Derbyshire ICB on a concentrated campaign has helped to embed this more widely and could make a big difference to patients and staff, particularly in the winter months when demand on emergency services is even higher.”
DHU’s CNH is staffed by highly skilled trained GPs and Advanced Practitioners who can support crews in a joint decision about a patient’s care. They can advise on whether emergency care is needed or if they can be better supported by an urgent treatment centre, pharmacy or community pathway, supporting clinical conversations on occasions when it’s not immediately clear on what options might be best for the patient.
The Single Point of Access details available patient pathways in real time, enabling the CNH team to advise on the most appropriate treatment plan for the patient, the closest facility to offer that care and the current demand. This gives an accurate overall picture for crews to be able to make the best decision for the patient’s care.
Taking patients to the right place first time…
Gemma Payne-Wright is DHU’s Services and Pathways Manager, she added: “It’s not purely about diverting people away from ED, it’s making sure they’re taken to the right place and using a live picture of the current demand on healthcare in Derbyshire to inform that. We’re proud to be working in partnership with EMAS and Derby and Derbyshire ICB on this initiative.”
Martin Coleman, Derbyshire Head of Operations at East Midlands Ambulance said: “As demand for our service continues to grow, working closely with our partners has never been more important. The CNH is just one way we’re supporting our ambulance crews to provide the best possible care and service for patients with increasingly complex healthcare needs, while avoiding busy A&E departments unless absolutely required.”
This collaboration underlines DHU, EMAS and Derby and Derbyshire ICB’s commitment to ensuring that patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time – improving the outcome and experience for patients, the overall system flow and helping ambulance crews respond faster to patients in the community.
Pictured above, left to right are: EMAS Duty Commander Sarah Soubry, DHU Service and Pathways Manager Gemma Payne-Wright and Ripley and Alfreton Station Manager for EMAS Lindsey Walker.