New SDEC will help us continue to reduce A&E waits
We’ve opened a new SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care) at King George Hospital (KGH) which will help us treat patients more quickly while also reducing overcrowding in A&E.
Its opening comes as the latest national A&E figures, published on Thursday 9 May by NHS England, demonstrate our continuing improvement. Our Type 1 performance (those who are most seriously ill) was the best in four years at 55.96%.
Our overall performance (All Types) was also the best it’s been in four years, with 78.14% of all patients seen and treated within four hours. Our performance in April has placed us 5th out of 18 acute trusts in London and 24th out of 122 in England.
While this means almost 7,000 more patients were treated within four hours than last April, we still have a way to go to reduce waits for everyone, which is exactly why we’re introducing new initiatives such as SDEC.
We began a phased opening of the new department at KGH last month, with a chaired area for patients ‘fit to sit’, alongside three consultation rooms and waiting area. In the first three weeks to the end of April, almost 250 patients were seen in our SDEC, reducing the number of those awaiting treatment in A&E.
Most patients seen in SDEC do not need to be admitted to hospital, so we’re able to get them home quicker, reducing waits for patients in A&E. In some cases, if they need follow-up medication or tests, we can arrange for them to return as an outpatient.
The new SDEC also benefits from 12 trolley bays.
Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, said: “I’m really pleased that thanks to ongoing efforts of our staff and urgent treatment centre colleagues, our performance continues to improve, with thousands more patients treated within four hours month on month.
“But there are still those who are waiting too long for treatment, such as our elderly patients who often face long waits for admission. This puts our achievement into context and shows us there is much still to do. That’s why initiatives like our new KGH SDEC are so important. It’s great news the team saw almost 250 patients in its first few weeks and now even more patients will benefit, helping to reduce crowding in A&E.”
Pictured top are (l-r): Laura Robinson, matron, Sophia Emenya, sister, Shannon Taylor, SDEC sister, Gloria Korda, staff nurse, and Julie Gregg, sister, on our KGH SDEC.