MP Chris Clarkson was welcomed by Rochdale Care Organisation chief officer Steve Taylor and introduced to unit staff on a recent visit to take a look round Rochdale Infirmary’s new Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit.
Chris talked with colleagues to find out more about what they do and how the unit operates, mingling with staff and the other invited VIPs, including Rochdale system lead Steve Rumbelow, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust non-executive director Hamish Stedman, and Rochdale councillor Daalat Ali.
SDEC provides adult patients requiring emergency care with safe and appropriate same day care, thus avoiding a hospital admission.
Colleagues working on the unit’s multidisciplinary team include a medical consultant, middle grade doctor, GP trainees, registered and unregistered nurses, and admin staff.
The service is open Mon to Fri, 8am to 9pm, and Sat and Sun, from 8am to 4pm.
Steve said: “This is a fantastic development for Rochdale and the surrounding area. The underlying principle of Same Day Emergency Care is that a significant proportion of adult patients requiring emergency care can be managed safely and appropriately on the same day without admission to hospital which frees up beds for patients who really need them.”
Chris said: “Greater Manchester has been leading the way on the vital integration of health and social care and Rochdale has in a very real sense been leading Greater Manchester. I want to thank the whole team at Rochdale Infirmary for sharing their innovative work, which could be the template for integration across the country. By understanding that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to health and social care, the team at Rochdale are really putting people back at the heart of the NHS where they belong.”
Patients attending SDEC are given rapid assessment, investigation, and treatment to avoid admission to hospital, and this results in timely discharge.
Access to a follow up appointment service, for example for a blood investigation, ensures that patients are not staying in hospital longer than necessary.
The types of patients treated on the unit include, but are not limited to, patients with common conditions such as low risk chest pains, chest infections, blood clots, anaemia, rashes and high blood pressure (hypertension).
Attendances at the unit are averaging about 20 to 30 per day at present, with a view to expanding this where possible in the future.
The team works closely with A&E and North West Ambulance Service colleagues to make full and best use of the unit.