NHS Confederation shines a light on SDEC teams
Colleagues working in the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit at Royal Derby Hospital have showcased how the service is reducing pressures in A&E and bed capacity, in a video which demonstrates how the service is transforming patient care.
NHS Confederation visited our SDEC team as part of their urgent and emergency care programme, which aims to highlight examples of best practice that should be adopted across the wider NHS system - as part of NHS England's drive to have a similar service in place at every hospital with a major emergency department. This also follows the team being shortlisted for both NHS Parliamentary and HSJ Patient Safety Awards over the last year.
Their visit - featured in the video - puts a spotlight on our efficient SDEC service and how it is helping to improve patient outcomes, reduce admissions, and make the best use of hospital resources.
Our SDEC teams, based at Queen's Hospital Burton and Royal Derby Hospital in both a surgical and medical capacity, work together to care for up to 120 patients a day at each site - helping people get the diagnosis and treatment they need for a wide range of conditions: such as deep vein thrombosis to abdominal pain, to acute surgical needs.
During their time on site, the NHS Confederation team heard directly from our consultants and colleagues in both SDEC and A&E, as well as a patient who had just been treated by the service - capturing how the team is helping us to manage increasing demand for urgent and emergency care by providing rapid assessment, diagnosis and treatment without the need for admission. This allows many patients to be seen and safely discharged home on the same day, avoiding unnecessary overnight stays and therefore supporting us with ensuring that critical bed space in our A&E department is available for those who need it the most.
This joined-up model plays a crucial role in supporting flow and capacity as well as enhancing patient safety. In doing so, benefitting both patients and staff, providing timely care in a more suitable setting, and helping us to best utilise valuable beds and resources.
The teams are now building on this success by expanding into new specialties and pathways, including virtual wards and community care options.
To learn more about NHS Confederation's visit, you can read their reflective article on their website >, or watch their video below: