Thanks to a lot of hard work and co-operation, thousands of patients have already benefitted from the new urgent care streaming service at Lincoln and Pilgrim hospitals.
ULHT was awarded nearly £1 million of funding by the Department of Health last year to help set up a streaming service at both A&E departments. Building works are well underway at both sites to increase the clinical space available in the departments and to relocate offices.
Despite, these ongoing works more than 5,700 patients have already been seen by GPs and nurses in the departments since the service launched at the end of September. On average 93.6% were treated within the four hour target.
Director of Operations Simon Evans said: “With these new services, we are able to direct patients when they arrive in A&E, with a clinician assessing their needs and deciding where they can receive the most appropriate care. Wherever suitable, patients are seen by a GP or nurse, which is relieving some of the pressure in the emergency departments.
“There is still more work to be done to make sure we are using this service to its full potential, but this winter it has certainly helped us to see and treat patients more quickly. I would like to thank all of the teams for their hard work and support this winter.”