Urgent geriatric service treats elderly patients quicker, avoiding long A&E waits and freeing up capacity

Geriatric same-day emergency care (SDEC) service at the Royal Liverpool Hospital

Many frail elderly patients come into hospital via the accident and emergency (A&E) department after a fall – only to spend hours waiting before being admitted onto a ward, where they can sometimes become ‘lost’ in the hospital system because they are not strong enough to be discharged straight home.

In response to this, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recently opened a new geriatric same-day emergency care (SDEC) service at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, to act as an urgent care wing for the elderly which enables them to bypass A&E altogether and get to the right care faster.

The wing is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, therapists and social workers who work together to assess, treat and discharge patients on the same day, wherever possible – often with follow-up support in the community being arranged.

The geriatric SDEC has only been operational since November 2023, but is already making a real difference to patients.

The service currently sees about 6-8 elderly patients per day, helping to free up critical space in A&E and other wards for patients with more acute problems, and also importantly avoiding unnecessary hospital admission for many of these elderly patients.

Currently around 75% of patients who attend the service are able to go home on the same day, but even where rapid discharge isn’t possible, the patient will get a more comprehensive assessment which results in them getting the right package of care to meet their needs faster.

BBC’s The One Show ran a special feature earlier this month about hospital discharge problems, with positive coverage from staff and patients at the Royal Liverpool’s geriatric SDEC service showing the difference that the service is making. You can watch it back here: BBC iPlayer - The One Show - 02/01/2024 (available until 1 February).