The patients at these surgeries will be able to fast track into the Older Persons Rapid Assessment unit, based in the specialist frailty area at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, via a GP referral. Patients will be assessed and directed to the best place to receive care and support, potentially saving unnecessary waits in the busy A&E department or the need to be admitted into hospital. Should the pilot prove successful, the approach will be rolled out across the rest of Burnley.
Kate Atkinson, Director of Service Development and Improvement at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) said: "There is a growing number of people with frailty who are more at risk of falls and being admitted to hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Burnley Express, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. "This pilot is part of our ongoing work to support early identification of frailty and supporting people to stay safe and well at home.
"We are working with a whole range of partners in the community, and this is not only helping people live independently but also helping relieve some of the pressures on our hospital services." Sarah McCrossan, the programme lead for Frailty at ELHT added that there are the huge benefits to: “creating more streamlined pathways, and supporting staff across organisations to feel more confident to identify, assess and signpost our people who live with frailty to the correct services" Jack Launer – Burnley Council’s Executive Member for Health, Housing and Culture and the Chair of the Burnley Together Health and Wellbeing partnership, welcomed the announcement: "I am delighted to hear this news. This excellent work is supporting our population in Burnley to age well and to help access innovative ideas to help relieve the pressure on A&E.
The area was chosen because it has the highest number of admissions to Blackburn Hospital. I look forward to hearing the outcome of the pilot.”.
