The London Clinic, a leading private hospital and charity on London’s Harley Street, has opened a new consultant-led Medical Admissions Unit in central London that offers GPs and healthcare specialists an alternative to sending people with urgent medical care needs to an A&E service at an NHS hospital.
“With one telephone call, a GP or clinical specialist can speak to a consultant who is experienced in acute medicine and an immediate decision can be made as to whether to admit a patient,” says Dr. John Goldstone, who leads this new service and is an internationally-renowned consultant intensivist at The London Clinic and University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH).
“Patients with complex conditions and urgent medical complications, from falls and problems related to diabetes, stomach, cardiac, cancer, eye and neurological condition, can be supported by our specialist acute care consultant team.”
“GPs and other doctors are used to sending patients to an A&E service at an NHS hospital but this new service at The London Clinic offers them an alternative, with fast access to a large range of diagnostic, surgical specialist facilities and continued excellence in ongoing clinical care,” adds Dr. Goldstone.
The initial assessment and care pathway management of patients is led by a specialist team of acute care consultants in various clinical disciplines including respiratory, general medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology, hepatology and infectious diseases.
“The initial assessment of the patient in an intensive care environment is unique to London healthcare and provides a built-in safety net that is reassuring to patients and those who refer them to The London Clinic,” says Dr. David Simcock, consultant respiratory physician.
“As the MAU is consultant-led from start to end, they take personal responsibility to discharge the patient back to the referring GP,” adds Dr. Simcock.
The Medical Admissions Unit is open every day from 8am until 8pm and includes fast access to hospital services and specialist doctor teams such as 3T MRI scanning, JAG-accredited endoscopy, pathology laboratories, haematology and cancer services, orthopaedics, and diabetes and endocrinology.
