CUH acute medical unit to ease A&E waiting times

A €1.4 million, 23-bed acute medical unit (AMU) opens today at Cork University Hospital.

The unit, which is being implemented as part of the HSE’s National Acute Medicine Programme, will provide for the acute treatment of patients where the estimated length of stay is under 48 hours.

Located above the hospital’s emergency department (ED) it will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and according to the HSE, patients referred to the unit will be seen by a consultant within one hour of arrival.

With 30%-40% of patients presenting at the ED affected by acute medical problems such as chest infections, pneumonia, clots, chest pain, stroke, heart failure, the unit will ensure that patients are seen quickly and treated appropriately outside of the ED, benefiting the patient and alleviating pressure on the ED which has been heightened in recent weeks.

The AMU will initially receive patients from the emergency department and, from February 7, receive patient referrals directly from their GPs. From that point forward, GPs will make contact with the unit’s case manager (a nurse whose role it is to liaise directly with GPs and plan the patients care) where patients will either be referred for prompt admission to the unit or for assessment as an outpatient to the AMU’s dedicated outpatient clinic.

The AMU is staffed by a team of staff including acute medicine doctors, nursing staff, physiotherapy, administration, catering, occupational therapy, housekeeping, speech and language therapy, dietetics and social work.

Dr Jennifer Carroll, consultant physician with responsibility for setting up acute medicine units in Cork and Kerry, said the opening of the unit has multiple benefits for patients.

“Fast-tracking assessment of patients with acute medical problems will facilitate early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment,” she said.

“The AMU allows patients to be discharged earlier, reduces the volume of medical admissions and shortens the length of time patients spend in hospital. The knock-on effect to the ED, is that it decreases attendances and consequently the waiting times.”