SWFT's Integrated Frailty Service recognised for Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) is excited to share that their Integrated Frailty Service, incorporating acute and community services, is a regional champion in the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards to mark the NHS’s 75th birthday. As a regional champion SWFT will now go head-to-head with other winners from across the country to be judged by a national panel made up of senior leaders representing staff and patients, for the chance to win the prestigious national award.
The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care category recognises outstanding initiatives and exceptional dedication in delivering high-quality urgent and emergency care services within the NHS. The Integrated Frailty Service at SWFT has demonstrated remarkable commitment and innovation in addressing the complex healthcare needs of frail individuals in our community.
The team are extremely proactive and innovative, which is driven by their ethos to ensure patients receive the highest level of care in the right place first time - supporting frail older adults in crisis to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. This is achieved by strong working connections with the Trust’s community and acute frailty teams and appropriately utilising resources.
The service has also received numerous praise nationally and are regularly invited to attend talks / conferences to share best practice with other NHS trusts, with the aim to support other organisations to adopt the home first mindset.
The initiatives the team have implemented have had real positive impact on patient care and experience, with people receiving hospital standard care in the comfort of their homes.
- At the Trust, all patients over 75 receive follow up calls following being discharged from hospital. This scheme has reduced re-attendances from 15% to 3%.
- Urgent Community Response (UCR) – community clinician deployed to care for a person experiencing a crisis in their home environment. Response time is max 2 hours, with short-term intervention for up to 48 hours. Referrals taken from all appropriate sources. ON average, this service responds to 800 calls in South Warwickshire a month – preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.
- Same day care services implemented have saved over two wards of beds a year – supporting the Trust to have the capacity to care for the people that need inpatient services.
- Using Consultant Connect technology – enabling ambulance crews to talk to a frailty consultant and seek advice – has meant 50% of these calls has resulted in a hospital attendance for a patient being avoided.
The Trust plans to further develop their service by utilising available technology to support an increasing number of specialty patients, who are frail, to receive and manage their care within the community.
Charles Ashton, Chief Medical Officer, said: “This recognition highlights the commitment of the team and their dedication to providing exceptional care for patients in our community. Their integrated approach is making a real difference in improving patient outcomes and transforming the delivery of urgent and emergency care services. Being shortlisted for the Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Integrated Frailty Service. Their tireless efforts in delivering outstanding care to frail individuals have made a significant impact on patient outcomes and patient experience.”
The winners of the NHS Parliamentary Awards will be announced at a special ceremony in the House of Commons on 5 July 2023, the day of the NHS’s 75th birthday. Regardless of the final result, the Trust are incredibly proud of the teams commitment to providing exceptional care.
« Return to News
