A clinical coordination hub in west Kent has recently marked its one-year anniversary, helping avoid more than 1,200 emergency department admissions.

The hub, which was organised and implemented by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, (SECAmb), in partnership with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), has now become an essential service that ensures patients are seen and assessed in the right place, at the right time.

The hub, based at SECAmb’s Paddock Wood Make Ready Centre in Kent, aims to prevent unnecessary emergency department visits by redirecting patients to more appropriate settings, such as same day emergency care (SDEC), urgent treatment centres (UTC), and frailty units.

In the hub’s first year, it has handled more than 3,600 clinical consultations which has resulted in supporting approximately 200 medical and surgical same day emergency care appointments and arranged approximately 200 GP in emergency department appointments on behalf of patients within this community.

One success of the hub has been its collaboration with the home treatment service, which in a 12-month period has received 480 referrals: more than ever before. This critical pathway allows frail patients or those with multiple comorbidities to avoid ED visits and long hospital stays. With the hub’s ongoing efforts, patients are increasingly being treated safely at home, often by a team member already familiar with their care.

Building on the hub’s success, its operating hours have now been extended, now in operation from 08:00 – 18:00, seven days a week, to better serve patients and staff. This expansion aligns with the Trust’s newly launched five-year strategy, which includes the establishment of five additional clinical hubs across our three regions.

Practice Development Lead, Sean Edwards said: "This has been an exciting and educational collaboration with our partners in MTW and KCHFT, which has demonstrated real and important patient benefits, and national recognition.

“As a direct result of the clinical hub, we know a much higher proportion of our patients are now being seen in the most appropriate place for their condition, which allows the ED to be for the most sick and injured. We have learned so much from each other and look forward to continuing this close collaboration during extended hours."

Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Deputy Medical Director at MTW, Dr James MacDonald, said: “The hub is helping patients get the right care, in the right place, first time. Working in partnership with SECAmb and community teams means patients can get a community referral with the urgent care team or an urgent treatment centre if it is more appropriate for them, easing pressure on our busy emergency departments. This helps make sure that A&E is there for those who really need it.”