Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) has outlined its annual plan to keep patients safe and well this winter.
The Trust says preparations are in place for the expected rise in demand, including high numbers arriving at the Emergency Department with winter-related respiratory conditions, illnesses, and injuries exacerbated by the cold weather.
As with the rest of the country, October was the busiest on record for Addenbrooke’s with 13,184 people visiting its Emergency Department, but despite the high attendances the average ambulance handover time was 25 minutes (compared to the national average of 40 minutes.) There was a slight improvement in the national four standard that requires 78% of patients in the ED to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. During October, this target was met in 66.9% of cases, up from 60.3% for the previous year.
Divisional director Dr Stephen Wallis said:
Our priority this winter is to ensure patients get to the right place at the right time for the care they need – so they can get home as soon as possible.
All the measures we have put in place will help manage the anticipated high volume of patients through the hospital, freeing capacity in our Emergency Department and resources for those who need them most.
Dr Stephen Wallis
- New Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) treatment options mean patients can be seen and treated quickly. They receive care on the same day and go home if they are well enough, without needing to be admitted onto a ward.
- A new Acute Frailty Unit takes patients from the Emergency Department to a dedicated quiet area to be treated quickly and effectively by a specialist team of geriatricians and nurses. The aim is for these patients to be safely discharged on the same day, if possible, to avoid the recognised complications of a hospital admission. The initiative, welcomed by patients, means they are three times more likely to be discharged home on the same day.
- Capacity on the Trust’s award-winning virtual ward has increased to 75 beds, meaning patients benefit from being in the comfort of their own homes, while still receiving monitoring, oversight and treatment from specialist clinicians. The virtual ward reduces the number of hospital bed days a patient needs and improves patient well-being. Since its launch two years ago, the virtual ward has treated more than 2,500 patients and achieved a 97% satisfaction rate.
- The new Surgical Hub continues to make a big difference for patients waiting for routine orthopaedic and spine operations. More than 2500 operations have been carried out at the Cambridge Movement Surgical Hub since it opened in November last year including 425 hip replacements and more than 400 knee replacements. Set apart from the hospital, with three operating theatres, the surgical hub allows planned operations to continue even during increased winter pressure.
- Staff are focused on ensuring fit and well patients are discharged before 12 noon. It means they can be home for lunch and much-needed capacity is created on the wards earlier in the day for new patients. On Tuesday, 25% of patients were successfully discharged before noon.
- Discharge lounge capacity has been doubled with the addition of new facilities. The lounge supports the timely and safe discharge of patients ready to go home and frees up beds for those in need. Patients are cared for in the lounge, while they wait to be collected by family or friends.
Chief operating officer Jon Scott said:
The winter months are challenging, but our dedicated staff will be supporting each other to deliver the best possible care for patients.
“The focus on faster treatments, pre-noon discharges and additional virtual ward capacity are already having an impact and feedback from the public has been very encouraging.
Jon Scott
He explained that visitors have an important part to play by utilising handwashing and sanitation facilities at the entrance to wards and clinics, and not coming in if they are feeling unwell. He added:
Please arrange to pick up your loved one in a timely way when they are discharged, being mindful this will likely be before noon. And finally, please remember our emergency department is there to help those who in need of emergency care.
Jon Scott