A new pathway has been launched in Walsall to help keep frail, elderly residents safe in their own home and avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital.
As part of the initiative, which has been set up by the Walsall Together Partnership, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) are able to directly refer patients who have fallen at home, but don’t require an ambulance, to the Care Navigation Centre (CNC) team for clinical assessment and support.
Sarah Gumbley, Team lead / Clinical Sister for the Care Navigation Centre, said: “As part of this new pathway, when the ambulance service takes a call from a patient who has had a fall but is identified as not needing hospital treatment, they can refer them to the Care Navigation Centre. We send out a Rapid Response Nurse to carry out a clinical assessment as well as any follow up assessments and interventions to reduce the risk of future falls. This enables the patient to stay at home and ambulance crews to attend to other calls.”
As well as providing clinical support and assessments as part of the new pathway if required a clinical support worker will visit the patient and makes sure they are warm and comfortable and have had something to eat and drink.
Donna Roberts, Deputy Director of Operations / Community Division for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Almost 40% of ambulance calls are for patient falls and are they are the biggest reason for admissions to hospital which in many cases could be avoided. This can be distressing and is often because they don’t have any other support at home. Through this partnership working we hope to make it easier to ensure our frail, elderly residents receive the care and treatment they need, in the right place and in the quickest time possible, reducing unnecessary admissions to hospital and wait times for ambulances.”
If the pathway proves to be successful it is hoped it will be rolled out permanently from March.
