Blackburn GPs to treat 'emergency' cases at home

7:00pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Bill Jacobs, Local government reporter

A NEW scheme will offer patients urgent care at home to keep them out of hard-pressed hospital casualty departments.

Blackburn with Darwen GPs will offer people at risk of emergency hospital admission treatment in their own properties, where appropriate.

They are launching a new scheme called the acute visiting service (AVS) to refer patients with urgent symptoms that might need hospital treatment for a home visit.

The service will provide two dedicated GPs to visit patients in the borough and assess them, providing immediate advice, treatment and prescriptions.

The scheme has been developed as a pilot by Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group, the new GP-led organisation that takes responsibility for local health services on April 1.

Blackburn GP Dr Zaki Patel said: “We know that up to half of emergency hospital admissions are avoidable and those patients could have been more appropriately treated in the community.

“Home is often the best place to be when people are ill and this scheme enables us to get a GP out to patients for rapid assessment and treatment. In most cases, this should avoid the need for them to be taken into hospital but patient safety is always our first priority and clearly hospital treatment would be provided if needed.

“This is one of a number of schemes the CCG has been working on to help patients receive treatment in the right place and improve their experience of NHS services.”

North West Ambulance Service has also signed up to the service so paramedics will be able to assess patients who have dialled 999 and refer them for an AVS home visit as an alternative to a hospital admission.

Mark Newton, consultant paramedic, said: “This service will allow our clinicians to work in partnership with GP services to ensure that patients who don’t need immediate hospital treatment, can receive high quality safe care, closer to home.

The CCG, working with out-of-hours provider, East Lancashire Medical Service, will deliver this service on behalf of all GP practices across Blackburn with Darwen.

Comments (8)

8:57pm Wed 6 Mar 13

mavrick says...

This is a serious dumbing down of our NHS services, What happens if a paramedic gets the assessment wrong? How much is it going to cost for an ambulance to attend and then a GP doctor, both in time and money. I am afraid life will be lost and I wonder what will happen if a paramedic gets sued? I think the people who thought up this crackpot scheme are not representing the best interests of the people but perhaps their pockets. What happened to simply having a fully staffed casualty department? Where are these two GPs coming from to do a rapid assessment. Funny how they can offer a rapid assessment service yet you have to wait a week for an appointment to see a GP, Do I smell money causing a re prioritising of patient care. The privatisation of our NHS is almost complete. If we are to allow paramedics to make the decision on your health needs then simply sack a few Doctors. This is the beginning of the end of NHS services as we know them.
This is a serious dumbing down of our NHS services, What happens if a paramedic gets the assessment wrong? How much is it going to cost for an ambulance to attend and then a GP doctor, both in time and money. I am afraid life will be lost and I wonder what will happen if a paramedic gets sued? I think the people who thought up this crackpot scheme are not representing the best interests of the people but perhaps their pockets. What happened to simply having a fully staffed casualty department? Where are these two GPs coming from to do a rapid assessment. Funny how they can offer a rapid assessment service yet you have to wait a week for an appointment to see a GP, Do I smell money causing a re prioritising of patient care. The privatisation of our NHS is almost complete. If we are to allow paramedics to make the decision on your health needs then simply sack a few Doctors. This is the beginning of the end of NHS services as we know them. mavrick

10:33pm Wed 6 Mar 13

woolywords says...

When you call the number for the help, just who gets to make the judgement call as to whether or not the doctor attends you, before all the other calls that he has to make that night? Don't think for a second, that the doctor himself is going to answer that phone.
That's not even beginning to think about weekends, when A&E is already creaking under the pressure. Two doctors, covering the 52 square miles of this borough, is hardly going to make a difference to the already straining system. (Add to that those whom will abuse it, as they surely will, to jump the queue at casualty and gain a bed or even to mention the NHS Direct hotline.)
Where do these doctors come from since there is already a shortage of them in the hospital itself?
It would make more sense if every doctors surgery in the area were forced to provide 24 hour cover, which they managed to do not many years ago but seem unable to do so now.
And I thought that the mobile phone app, that is supposed to be used to diagnose yourself, was a daft idea, this one takes the biscuit.

Like what he said, crackpot idea.
When you call the number for the help, just who gets to make the judgement call as to whether or not the doctor attends you, before all the other calls that he has to make that night? Don't think for a second, that the doctor himself is going to answer that phone. That's not even beginning to think about weekends, when A&E is already creaking under the pressure. Two doctors, covering the 52 square miles of this borough, is hardly going to make a difference to the already straining system. (Add to that those whom will abuse it, as they surely will, to jump the queue at casualty and gain a bed or even to mention the NHS Direct hotline.) Where do these doctors come from since there is already a shortage of them in the hospital itself? It would make more sense if every doctors surgery in the area were forced to provide 24 hour cover, which they managed to do not many years ago but seem unable to do so now. And I thought that the mobile phone app, that is supposed to be used to diagnose yourself, was a daft idea, this one takes the biscuit. Like what he said, crackpot idea. woolywords

11:39pm Wed 6 Mar 13

happycyclist says...

Um, isn't this what used to happen about 40 years ago? When I was a child, I had bronchial-pneumonia and was too ill to go anywhere. My GP sat in my bedroom with me ALL NIGHT to make sure I was OK.
Um, isn't this what used to happen about 40 years ago? When I was a child, I had bronchial-pneumonia and was too ill to go anywhere. My GP sat in my bedroom with me ALL NIGHT to make sure I was OK. happycyclist

3:54am Thu 7 Mar 13

Fire Fly says...

I think there has to come a time when we restore some faith, even a little to begin with, in the NHS.

This scheme makes sense to me, our NHS is stretched to breaking point with people who could be treated elsewhere. For instance, we all know people who attend the GP's with colds, or a number of minor things that could be treated at home with a bit of common sense applied. We'd all be able to get in to see our GP's much faster if those people weren't in the picture.

Likewise with the ambulance service, you only have to watch the numerous TV programs to see how many times they attend people who aren't ill enough to warrant a 999 call. Paramedics are trained to provide emergency care so they are ideally placed to divert these patients to the G.P's.

As Happycyclist rightly says this is how things used to be. If we want the NHS to survive then people have to change their thinking & take some responsibility for their health first. I'm a firm believer in the NHS but the current situation of shoddy management & patients who think they should attend A&E for a headache are being incredibly effective together in bringing it to its knee's.
I think there has to come a time when we restore some faith, even a little to begin with, in the NHS. This scheme makes sense to me, our NHS is stretched to breaking point with people who could be treated elsewhere. For instance, we all know people who attend the GP's with colds, or a number of minor things that could be treated at home with a bit of common sense applied. We'd all be able to get in to see our GP's much faster if those people weren't in the picture. Likewise with the ambulance service, you only have to watch the numerous TV programs to see how many times they attend people who aren't ill enough to warrant a 999 call. Paramedics are trained to provide emergency care so they are ideally placed to divert these patients to the G.P's. As Happycyclist rightly says this is how things used to be. If we want the NHS to survive then people have to change their thinking & take some responsibility for their health first. I'm a firm believer in the NHS but the current situation of shoddy management & patients who think they should attend A&E for a headache are being incredibly effective together in bringing it to its knee's. Fire Fly

9:23am Thu 7 Mar 13

lazydragon says...

Who exactly are East Lancs Medical Services?
Who exactly are East Lancs Medical Services? lazydragon

9:34am Thu 7 Mar 13

jaysay says...

I think is a great scheme, as somebody with ongoing health problems the idea of being treated at home instead of being shipped off to hospital first class. Sadly I don't live in Blackburn, but there is a service called the virtual ward where if you are having problems nurses come to see you at home and work in conjunction with your GP, both schemes are very helpful, I've always said you only start to feel better when your discharged from hospital
I think is a great scheme, as somebody with ongoing health problems the idea of being treated at home instead of being shipped off to hospital first class. Sadly I don't live in Blackburn, but there is a service called the virtual ward where if you are having problems nurses come to see you at home and work in conjunction with your GP, both schemes are very helpful, I've always said you only start to feel better when your discharged from hospital jaysay

10:10am Thu 7 Mar 13

prince of darkness says...

happycyclist wrote:
Um, isn't this what used to happen about 40 years ago? When I was a child, I had bronchial-pneumonia and was too ill to go anywhere. My GP sat in my bedroom with me ALL NIGHT to make sure I was OK.
I agree with the Happycyclist this is how it used to be. You called the Doctor who made home visits. If you did have to attend the surgery you sat and waited. He would have a card with all your details on. Now you have to call at certain time to try get an appointment,to find its a week or more before you can get an appointment. Then you can only discuss one item,have make another appointment. If you sit in waiting room time check how many patients they see in an hour !!!!. Talk about going backwards.
[quote][p][bold]happycyclist[/bold] wrote: Um, isn't this what used to happen about 40 years ago? When I was a child, I had bronchial-pneumonia and was too ill to go anywhere. My GP sat in my bedroom with me ALL NIGHT to make sure I was OK.[/p][/quote]I agree with the Happycyclist this is how it used to be. You called the Doctor who made home visits. If you did have to attend the surgery you sat and waited. He would have a card with all your details on. Now you have to call at certain time to try get an appointment,to find its a week or more before you can get an appointment. Then you can only discuss one item,have make another appointment. If you sit in waiting room time check how many patients they see in an hour !!!!. Talk about going backwards. prince of darkness

7:25pm Sat 9 Mar 13

Sad Sally says...

I agree with Jaysay. My dad had a visit from this service last week.

My mum called our GP for a visit at 9 in the morning my Dad was really ill. A lovely lady doctor came within 20 minutes. By the time the doctor got there my Dad had collapsed and she was brilliant she helped Mum to pick Dad up off the floor and she called an ambulance, Dad was admitted to a ward in an hour.

So until you're really ill you should stop slagging off what you don't understand. Thanks Dr Patel, this is what happens when GPs are put in charge they put patients first. I can't thank this service or that lovely lady GP enough its the NHS at its best.
I agree with Jaysay. My dad had a visit from this service last week. My mum called our GP for a visit at 9 in the morning my Dad was really ill. A lovely lady doctor came within 20 minutes. By the time the doctor got there my Dad had collapsed and she was brilliant she helped Mum to pick Dad up off the floor and she called an ambulance, Dad was admitted to a ward in an hour. So until you're really ill you should stop slagging off what you don't understand. Thanks Dr Patel, this is what happens when GPs are put in charge they put patients first. I can't thank this service or that lovely lady GP enough its the NHS at its best. Sad Sally

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