Unplanned Care

Supporting improved urgent (unplanned) care services and outcomes

Our aim is to provide a wide range of joined up unplanned care services that are responsive to patients needs and are available in a community and hospital environment, based on clinical need.  Wherever clinically possible and where appropriate the community setting will be the default place of care. Individuals will know which services they can access, when and how in an urgent or emergency situation. There are a number of ways we can do this, including:

  • Implementing a community ambulatory care service:
    Where clinically appropriate individuals will be cared for either within their home environment or local community, reducing the need to attend a hospital facility or be admitted to a hospital bed. A rapid response team (comprising both health and social care) will be available to quickly assess and support an individual with deteriorating health or care needs in their own home or support early discharge for those who are admitted to an acute hospital facility. We are testing this concept in the Goole, Howden and West Wolds area at present.
     
  • Developing a hospital based ambulatory care service:
    Patients attending an acute hospital will be diagnosed and treated within an outpatient setting to reduce their waiting time and avoid having to be admitted. A range of outpatient clinics will be available offering patients, requiring specialist review, appointments within 24-48 hours of identification. This facility is now available within Hull Royal Infirmary.
     
  • Developing and implementing an unplanned care strategy:
    A joined up unplanned care system covering both emergency and urgent care, responsive to patients’ needs will be available. Services will be delivered across a range of clinically safe, enhanced locations to ensure patients get the right care in the right place at the right time.
     
  • Developing improved and integrated ‘minors’ stream in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments:
    We are working collaboratively with our partners to ensure that patients attending an acute hospital needing GP or minor injury care, not a full A&E review, are seen in an integrated facility where they are directed quickly to the most appropriate clinician.
     
  • Developing system resilience: In collaboration with our partners we aim to ensure the services we buy across both health and social care and across all delivery areas:
    hospital, community, primary care and home will have the capacity and flexibility to manage fluctuations in demand.
     
  • Delivering the NHS Constitution targets:
    Our commissioned health services will deliver the nationally mandated unplanned care waiting times in line with the NHS Constitution:
    -  95% of patients seen/treated/ decision to admit made within 4 hours of arrival at an emergency department or minor injury units
    -  No patient will wait longer than 12 hours from ‘decision to admit’ to being admitted
    -  No patient shall wait longer than 12 hours from arrival in an emergency department to being admitted to an inpatient facility if clinically appropriate