A new medical ambulatory care service which will see patients assessed, treated and discharged on the same day has been launched at Grimsby hospital.
The new service will be next to the acute medical unit (AMU) and will have space for 12 patients. It will be open seven days a week and will see patients referred by A&E, GPs or the acute medical unit who meet a set of strict criteria.
Traditionally acute medical patients are admitted to a hospital ward and assessed by a consultant to decide what diagnostics or treatment they need. Ambulatory care is based on the idea that some medical emergencies can be managed in an outpatient setting with the appropriate diagnostic and support services to hand.
Dr Asem Ali, deputy associate medical director for medicine at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospital, said: “Patients referred to the unit will receive the same medical treatment they would previously have received as an inpatient. The unit is all about ensuring medical emergency patients are managed in the most appropriate way.
“They will be seen by a senior clinician and decisions made about their care. They will have fast access to diagnostics ensuring treatment can be started in a timely manner, which means they don’t have to stay in hospital overnight.”
The types of patients who will benefit from the new service include: adults who suffer first seizures, low risk chest pain, mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and mild chest infection.
Dr Ali added: “It is about reducing the number of emergency medical patients admitted to hospital because they can be treated as outpatients and discharged back to the comfort of their own home.”
