One in three people in our local A&Es today simply do not need to be there. They do not have a life-threatening condition and they are not an emergency. We know this because a recent trial at Queen’s Hospital A&E told us exactly that.
Many people are no longer put off by long waits in A&E and our doctors and nurses are finding it harder to cope. We need new ways of assessing and helping you to get the right care in the right place - and reducing the pressure on our busy A&Es at the same time.
For Monday 11 July to Friday 22 July, we will be trying something new at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.
If a patient arrives at A&E between 8am and 8pm, but could be seen and treated elsewhere to get the care they need – but not from the emergency department - they will be given advice on where to go for help. That may be from their own GP, a pharmacist, our late night GPs service or even at home with your feet up for a day or two. This will mean the A&E team can focus on those who really do need their help and expertise to deal with very serious and life threatening illness or injury. That’s what an A&E is really for.
There’s no need to anyone to worry - no-one will be ‘turned away’ until they’ve been checked over by a senior doctor and given advice on what they need to do. Read more about the trial here.
GPs will be sent an electronic letter by BHRUT if one of your patients attends Queen’s Hospital emergency department during the trial, explaining why they attended and the advice that was given to them.
Extra appointments will be available in our GP hubs during the trial to support patients redirected from Queen’s after a clinical assessment.
All GPs should now have received a briefing by email, as well as a new poster to support the message that A&E is for serious and life-threatening conditions only and giving information about alternative services. Please display this in your practices to help support our busy A&Es.
If you have any questions about the two-week trial, please contact Kirsty Boettcher (020 3182 2959) and Carla Morgan (020 3182 2960).
This two-week trial will also help us see what people do when they can’t simply walk in to A&E and wait to be seen. We’ll understand what the new approach means for all our GPs and other health and care services. We can then make a decision about what is best for patients and what it means for health services across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge.
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