NHS: Hospital Department Just For Over-80s

Patients over the age of 80 are to have a special Accident and Emergency department dedicated to treating them, a hospital has announced.

From the start of December when a patient older than 80 arrives at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), they will go straight to the older people’s emergency department, which is separate from the existing A&E.

The new department will be staffed by geriatric specialists as well as emergency and older people’s nurses who are trained in providing care for the elderly.

The unit will work with social services to ensure that people who need help at home are not admitted to a ward simply because there is nowhere else for them to go. About 50 patients aged over 80 now visit the hospital’s A&E department each day and the new unit will cater for that number.

Dr Martyn Patel, a consultant for older people’s medicine at the hospital, said Norfolk’s older populations is one of the largest in the country and is continuing to grow at a rapid rate.

“This means we’ve got to do something no one else has done before in the UK, to ensure our older patients are able to receive the best care most appropriate to their needs in a timely manner,” he said.

More Over-80s

Frankie Swords, the hospital’s head of medicine, said the over-80s make up about one in seven patients visiting the NNUH.

”For older patients, we know that the earlier we can assess them, the quicker we can get them back to full health, helping then to regain their independence and avoid admission,” she said.

“The hospital believes a dedicated service could cut delays and improve care.”

Hospitals across Britain are coming under pressure to clear beds in preparation for winter after a strained social care system led to thousands more people being stuck on wards. NHS chiefs and council leaders have clashed over plans for getting the over-80s and other elderly patients out of hospital beds.

“The earlier an older patient is assessed the better it is for their health and well being, so we are delighted to hear about this innovative plan for an older people’s emergency unit,” said Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK.

Spending long periods in hospital beds is widely acknowledged to accelerate the wasting away of older people. Some studies estimate that 10 days of bed rest leads to a 14% fall in leg muscle strength, equivalent to a decade of ageing.

Specialist Care

However, the drive to free up hospital beds has led to fears that some over-80s are rushed home before they are ready.

Emergency re-admissions to hospital are up by a fifth in the past five years, with more than 500,000 patients back within a month of being discharged.

Dr Jane Evans, a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, said the new specialist A&E was “exciting for NNUH and our young Norfolk patients.” “This means we will have the capacity to see more patients and enhance the specialist care they receive,” she said.

Mark Davies, the hospital’s chief executive, agreed.

“As a trust, we are committed to providing the best possible care for our patients, and developing the older people’s emergency department and expanding our paediatric emergency department both show how we are always looking at new and innovative ways to do so,” he said. “This is a massive step forward in enhancing emergency care.”

by Bob Graham

The post NHS: Hospital Department Just For Over-80s appeared first on Felix Magazine.

NHS: Hospital Department Just For Over-80s posted first on http://www.felixmagazine.com/