Consultant-led care extended to north Norfolk

[wendy]

Patients in north Norfolk will now be able to access enhanced medical support
following the roll out of a consultant-led model of care for older people.
Consultants are now carrying out regular ward rounds within the Trust’s inpatient
units in order to assess patients’ progress and their medical needs. Working with each
hospital’s team of nurses and therapists, they identify the best care and medication for
the increasingly complex cases and rising medical needs of admitted patients.
The model, which is already used successfully in Norwich, south and west Norfolk,
has been adopted by the Trust’s four north Norfolk inpatient units to ensure we
can continue to fully meet people’s increasingly complex needs. It is expected that
this will also help people to recover quickly and return home as soon as possible,
while freeing up resources for other patients.
Consultants at Kelling and North Walsham hospitals will be supported by a team
of Middle Grade Doctors, who will take over responsibly for the provision of the
medical service from local GPs.
GP colleagues, who have supported these hospitals for a number of years, will
no longer be carrying out regular ward rounds and other medical duties at the
hospital, but the Trust will continue to work closely with the GPs and their practice
staff to ensure the best possible care is provided to all patients.
Dr Rosalyn Proops, Medical Director, said: “I’d like to recognise the good work of
all the GPs who have provided medical care within our community hospitals over
a number of years and thank them all for their support in helping us to develop
this new model.”
The Trust’s two other units in north Norfolk - Benjamin Court, in Cromer; and
Cranmer House, in Fakenham - will also now have access to consultant-led support,
but continue to be supported by local GPs.
It is hoped that the new look model may also offer opportunities to develop
increasingly joined up NHS services going forward; for example, with consultant or
Middle Grade Doctors offering community-based clinics and linking in more closely
with GP practices and acute services.
GP
Exchange
|
SPRING 2014
|
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust