UEC Transfer of Care
Provides facilities to stream and redirect patients away from ED to a more appropriate UEC service.
The UEC Transfer of Care (ToC) provides facilities to stream and redirect patients away from ED to a more appropriate UEC service for their presenting condition. By using a number of online filtering mechanisms, it has been identified that up to 70% of unheralded patients could be redirected away from ED to an alternative service.
The ToC is integrated with both NHS111 and the NHS Emergency Department Streaming Tool (EDST) to ensure all patients (Heralded and Unheralded) are managed through the system. All patient details are processes by the ABS and presented within a “Clinical Navigator” screen, where the details can be reviewed in consultation with the patient in order to decide where best to treat the patient. This may well include the option of bringing back the patient at a later date/time, so redirection can be to an alternative service but also an alternative time. This is specifically relevant if the service is particularly busy or closed or a specialist team is not available.
By providing a filtering mechanism at the front door, ensures only patients who need to be seen in ED are registered to be treated at that location thereby significantly reducing the number of patients waiting to be treated in ED.
Patients can be offered a booked appointment at an alternative service and/or time within the Acute Sector including SDEC, Call Back Services, Diagnostics, Ambulatory Care etc., outside of ED.
All other patients are offered an appointment in an alternative UEC setting elsewhere or appropriate community service including Primary Care and Community Pharmacy Clinical Services (CPCS)
Low acuity patients can be offered the option to return home with the capability of booking their own appointment into a specified schedule if their condition deteriorates over the next 24 to 48 hours.
“Self-service” booking services managed through WASP Digital Token that can either time out if the patient doesn’t utilise it or persists and alerts nominated personnel if a patient does not book an appointment.
Encourage patients attending ED to use NHS111 and NHS111 Online so they can be directed to the most appropriate service from the outset in the future. By using this facility, it is anticipated that less patients will present unheralded at ED.
Benefits
• No one waiting in ED unless they need to be seen in this service.
• Remote filtering of patients through the use of NHS111 and NHS Online.
• Local filtering of unheralded patients through the use of EDST to effectively deal with the volume of patients.
• Offer “Patient Choice” of different service and/or different time reduces wait times and improves service.
• Confirmed booking ensures patients aren’t bounced around the system.
• Fully utilises alternative UEC Services spreading the increased workload
• Bi-directional booking with Primary Care offers “Trusted Referral Model” and provides benefits to both services increasing the likelihood of agreement.
• Significant improvement in patient safety due to prioritisation and management/audit of patient pathway.
• Massive reduction in administrative overheads through the integration with local patient systems