People who regularly attend A&E at Somerset’s hospitals are getting additional help to find services that better meet their needs.
People who regularly attend A&E at Somerset’s hospitals are getting additional help to find services that better meet their needs.
It follows the launch of a High Intensity Use service in August 2023, set up to monitor and provide support to patients who frequently use A&E, helping get them the right care, in the right place.
The service has proven successful in its first year, supporting 141 people with 1,963 A&E attendances between them and lowering this to 1,189 attendances, a reduction of 48% across all ages.
Lead Manager for the High-Intensity Use service, Neil Thomas, says research shows a clear link between a high-intensity use of emergency services and wider health inequalities. He says a small percentage of patients account for 16% of all emergency department attendances at local hospitals, as well as 26% of hospital admissions, and 29% of those brought to the hospital by ambulance. The HIU service helps identify people who are the top attenders, so the NHS can identify their unmet needs and what the health service is not getting right for them.
For further details about how the service operates visit NHS Somerset at https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/
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