The acute care pathway is under unprecedented strain, and hospital bed occupancy has reached dangerous levels. The Royal College of Physicians advocates better integration of hospital, ambulance, social and community care. Decisions to escalate care to acute settings are often part of a default approach to mitigate risk, but this problem can be better managed, as evidenced by the acute ambulatory care units developed by Prof Lasserson. Our aim is to use mixed-methods research to study how interfaces along the acute care pathway function in order to create a resilient acute care system.
This theme is closely aligned with the Acute Care theme of the NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC).
Longer-term:
Daniel.Lasserson@warwick.ac.uk
University of Warwick
There is an increasing number of people in England who are acutely unwell, many of whom are older and living with frailty. However, the acute care pathways in our hospitals are at risk of becoming overwhelmed, reducing the function of elective activity. We therefore need to find ways to meet the needs of these people without admitting them to hospital.
Professor Dan Lasserson was recently invited to deliver a ‘Distinguished Lecture’ on ‘Hospital at Home’ models and acute ambulatory care.
Publication of report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the Integration of Primary and Community Care.