The BGS is pleased to have contributed to the NHS England publication; Urgent community care: clinical decision-making framework.
Attendance at emergency departments is not always necessary for older people, and in some cases, it may be harmful as older people are more likely to face long waits and corridor care. Often, those attending emergency departments do not require urgent or emergency care, and many, particularly those living with frailty, can be effectively treated in the community. Many older people would prefer to receive treatment at or closer to their homes.
This framework aims to help clinicians across the multiprofessional team make safe and consistent decisions when treating patients in urgent community care settings, including their homes and care homes.
Helping people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time, will improve health outcomes for older people and the wider community as well as cutting down on unnecessary hospital admissions.
Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, BGS President, said:
Many older people end up in emergency departments for want of the right care delivered in the community. We support moves to improve the quality and management of urgent and emergency care available to older people where they live, and believe this framework will help guide healthcare professionals in providing such alternatives to hospital safely.
Read the document here.
