BRI new hospital unit reduces emergency admissions

Tom Bray said he was given a diagnosis for his chest palpitations very quickly via the new SDEC unit

A unit set up as a pilot to reduce pressure on accident and emergency (A&E) wards has been made permanent.

The Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) was set up at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in February as the hospital was facing unprecedented demand.

It receives patients directly from the ambulance service, GP referrals and NHS 111, or those triaged via A&E.

A month-long pilot in February resulted in 93% of patients who went to A&E being discharged on the same day.

The scheme involves acute medicine and the emergency department working more closely together.

Emergency nurse practitioner Susie Webster said: "We have been trained to a level where we see patients autonomously.

"The idea is to be able to see patients, turn them around and discharge them within the same day, whereas previously they might have been admitted.

"So we're avoiding admissions, we're avoiding crowding in the emergency department waiting rooms which is very important at the moment, reducing infections and it's a much better patient experience."

The new unit helped to reduce emergency admissions, clinical lead emergency practitioner Susie Webster said

The teaching hospital said there was a rise in people coming to A&E who had not sought help earlier, because of the pandemic, and whose conditions had worsened.

Patients with mental health problems who were unable to see doctors face to face were also going to hospital to seek help, the hospital said.

Patient, Tom Bray, 27, was treated in SDEC for chest palpitations.

"I was at work, I started having palpitations, chest pains so I called 111," he said.

"They advised that I go to hospital and get checked out. I came here, got an ECG, a blood test done all very quickly."

He said the new system was "was definitely a good thing" because he was treated very quickly.

Ms Webster said: "We will triage them and realise they will be suitable for this service, send them up here and do all their investigations.

"In our pilot we discharged 93% of patients who came through this service."

The SDEC unit started operating on a permanent basis on 19 July.