We haven't gone here yet, but like elsewhere our PCT, the one that does talk to us, seems to think this might be a good idea. When we did the exercise with GP's for identifiying the Primary care stream in the collaborative, the GP's would have chosen 30% of our patients as PC cases, we would have sent them 15%.
Currently 50% of the hospital admissions to medicine come from PC, the rest ED, more of the surgical cases are PC origin if you don't count orthopaedics in the numbers.
As you so rightly point out, the GP's can only prevent admissions if they have prior knowledge of the patient and can supervise them at home until they can be seen in an environment other than the acute ward.
Does anyone have any figures on thhe real activity of ECP's in the community. My PCT tells me they are wonderful and that Hull has closed a ward because of their diversion to more appropriate streams. Much better than GP's!
My contacts say the ward was closed to save money and the patients keep on coming and are now ending up stacked in the ED and screwing up the 4 hour target. Much as in my department.
Any genuine stats would be gratefully recieved if they allow me to prove the PCT are talking through their A***s as they normally are.
________________________________________________________________________
National Patient Safety Agency - supporting Doctors.net.uk members in safe practice.
http://www.doctors.net.uk/NPSA
_______________________________________________________________________
|