NHS Western Isles have launched a new short film and website to highlight its local, face-to-face services.
The Integrated Front Door Service (IFDS) provides hospital-level urgent assessment treatment and support to patients safely within their own home – allowing them to receive the appropriate care.
Over the last six months, the service has supported 82 A&E attendances where patients seen by the Scottish Ambulance Service supported and managed at home through collaboration with IFDS.
In total, 1,563 days of acute hospital-level care delivered at home through Hospital at Home, and 97 Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment were completed, helping identify individual patient needs and connect people with appropriate services and support.
Working across community, hospital and emergency services, the IFDS approach helps identify the most appropriate pathway unique to each patient, including opportunities to provide assessment, treatment and ongoing care closer to home, where this is safe, whilst reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.
The service is of particular benefit for patients who prefer to stay in and be treated within their own home. It also helps patients leave hospital earlier to finish recovering in their own surroundings, lower the risk of obtaining hospital-acquired infections and, particularly with vulnerable or frail patients, reduce their loss of independence through deconditioning.
The IFDS is made up of Hospital at Home, Urgent & Unscheduled Care (U&UC), Frailty Practitioners, Acute Assessment Unit (AAU), as well as working in partnership with many other agencies and services. This includes GPs, Community Nursing, Scottish Ambulance Service, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and the voluntary sector.
The approach aims to avoid unnecessary journeys and A&E attendances, prevent avoidable hospital admissions, identify frailty and wider care needs earlier, and reduce pressure on hospital services and inpatient beds. Working together to provide more joined-up care.
Further information about the local IFDS can be found here.
