Ambulance response times — improved communication between clinical teams may offer a solution

[摘要] Nada Khan1 articulates familiar difficulties facing colleagues in the ambulance service that have a direct impact upon GPs and their patients. We believe that improved communication between clinicians at the point of contact between the ambulance crew and the patient in the community can lead to different care pathways that do not necessitate conveyance to hospital.During the COVID pandemic, Suffolk GP Federation (a not-for-profit owned by 57 GP practices) created a ‘Hub’ within the out-of-hours service, manned by a senior clinician with access to GPs’ clinical records. Clinicians working with the ambulance service were able to access advice, often providing an alternative clinical pathway for the patient to the usual conveyancing to the Emergency Department. Electronic transfer prescriptions, referral to community services, and other interventions became possible.We are aware that accessing the patient’s own GP for similar advice during normal working hours can prove difficult or impossible. Digital communication solutions such as ‘Medic bleep’ used at West Suffolk Hospital have been demonstrated to improve communication within clinical teams, saving time and money.2What perfect communications between clinical teams in the community look like we do not yet know. We plan to undertake a project to answer this question and find the right technology. In time we hope that we can redesign care pathways in ways that improve care for patients, help ambulance crews to create timely solutions for the individuals they are called to see, and ultimately provide a gateway into virtual community wards for selected patients.© British Journal of General Practice 2022REFERENCES 1.↵Khan N (2022) Ambulance response times: the NHS’s falling house of cards. Br J Gen Pract, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp22X720605.

[学科分类] 卫生学