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Paramedic Tools Aims to Reduce
Ambulance Callouts to Care Homes
A pair of paramedics have developed a brand new way for
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to work with nursing and residential homes
to help residents to get the most appropriate care more quickly.
Staff at nursing and residential homes can now be trained by NWAS to use the:-
'Nursing
and Residential Triage Tool' to determine themselves whether a patient
requires an emergency Ambulance or it would be more appropriate for them to be
cared for by a GP or urgent care service.
Specialising in working in the community, Paramedic, Mark Wenman found that in
2016 around 6.8% of all 999 emergencies in the North West were callouts to
Nursing and Residential Homes, and of these jobs, 19% didn't required hospital
treatment. Mark enlisted the help of Triage Development and Evaluation
Paramedic, Steph Allmark and started looking into a way of finding these
patients more appropriate care.
Mark said:- "Patients in care and residential homes are often much more
comfortable being treated where they are without the need to be admitted into Hospital and wherever possible we will do everything we can to make sure this is
possible.
This tool is not only hugely beneficial to the ambulance service as it frees up
our vehicles and crews for serious and life threatening emergencies, it also
means that the patient is treated in a surrounding that they are used to with
people that they know."
The tool works by allowing carers, who have prior knowledge of the patient's
health needs, to look at the symptoms being presented and using to tool to find
the most appropriate care based on the world renowned Manchester Triage Tool.
Initially using the tool in just 3 Care Homes in the area, its success has
now meant that it has been implemented in over 50 across the North West with a
view to expand to over 200 in the coming months.
Using the tool has proven successful in trials and has reduced:- 999 calls to
nursing and residential homes by over 50% in some cases.
Care Home staff are initially trained on how to use the tool by an NWAS
professional and are then able to refer to the tool to help decide on the most
appropriate care based on the symptoms being presented by the patient. A
short promotional film is available to watch is available
online.
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