Patients to get the help they need more quickly as new Unscheduled Care Hub launched in Bedfordshire

A brand new Unscheduled Care Hub has been unveiled in Luton to support more patients to get the help they need more quickly.

Paramedics will be able to transfer suitable patients directly from the Ambulance Service to a community healthcare provider, potentially eliminating the need for patients to go to emergency departments for further treatment and meaning more people can stay safe and well at home.

The paramedics leading this work are stationed at the Hub in Luton and sat alongside their community partner colleagues to enable instant clinical conversations and appropriate decision making.

A frailty consultant attached to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital also supports the Unscheduled Care Hub Team to determine the right clinical response in a timely way.

This means that, where appropriate, people are seen sooner by the right healthcare practitioner rather than going to hospital, and are likely to receive a more tailored approach to their care. The NHS Community Services’ Teams provide rapid response services that can help people at home – without the need for an ambulance – so that more patients can maintain their independence for longer.

Emergency patients with time critical care will always be taken straight to hospital for treatment.

The initiative is also designed to reduce pressure on ambulances, supporting the East of England Ambulance Service to focus on those who most need urgent care, and helping to reduce pressure on hospitals, including delays in handing over patients at emergency departments.

Dr Rima Makarem, chair of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, on a visit to the Hub this week, said: “I want to congratulate all the teams who have come together to make the Unscheduled Care Hub a brilliant facility for residents in Bedfordshire.

“The Hub is a great example of what is possible when partners think creatively about how best to make sure patients get the right support at the right time.

“I look forward to hearing how many more of our residents are being helped to stay well at home, and to seeing the positive impact I hope this exciting initiative will have on our busy hospital emergency departments.”

Marc Stanbridge, Head of Operations – Bedfordshire and Luton, East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) said: “This is an exciting and evolving opportunity to work collaboratively with system partners across Bedfordshire and Luton.

“This collaboration allows EEAST additional opportunities to deliver excellent patient care, at the right time and in the right place. I look forward to working with partners to expand workstreams & additional services for residents across Bedfordshire.”

The digital systems which support this integrated way of working, allowing ambulance referrals to be sent directly to urgent care response services, were first trailed in Bedfordshire last year.

There are plans to involve primary care teams, mental health specialists and voluntary and community services as the Hub develops into the centre of all emergency care activity that does not require an ambulance.