Tackling accident and emergency attendance crisis: Nurses roles in the case for change

12^th Nursing and Healthcare Congress

October 03-05, 2016 Vancouver, Canada

Kath Start and Di Jackson

South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb), UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

The challenges of providing a comprehensive National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has never been more demanding. It is well documented that migration and an ageing population with increasing complex needs both add to the growing pressures on Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. Alongside this, many people have difficulty navigating and gaining access to urgent care services within the community, which accounts for the disproportionate rise in attendances at A&E. The emergence of the Nurse using telephone triage in 999 call contact centers is relatively new in determining alternative solutions for an overstretched ambulance service. Nurses, alongside their Paramedic colleagues are now determining whether the 999 caller requires a visit to A&E by ambulance, or could be dealt with more appropriately by referral to another service within the community. In order to evaluate this, funding was obtained by South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust to carry out a small scale study to explore the scope of practice of nurses in telephone 999 call contact centres, develop and deliver appropriate training for this enhanced role determine the impact on service provision. Findings prior to and following a bespoke training course suggest there is improvement in the confidence and ability of these Clinicians. Those who had undergone the training were using the NHS pathways software more efficiently; thereby reducing the amount of time spent on 999 calls; fewer ambulances were being dispatched to 999 calls; and an increase in referrals were made to alternative community services.

Biography :

Email: Kath.Start@secamb.nhs.uk D.jackson@sgul.kingston.ac.uk