Australian doctors pick up some tips from hospitals in West Herts

From left, Deborah Thompson - programme director for West Herts ambulatory emergency care delivery network, Lynne Jeffery - senior sister for West Herts ambulatory care unit, Dr Arif Hamda - clinical lead for West Herts ambulatory care, James Mason - project lead for West Herts ambulatory care, Malcolm and Maxine French - specialists in emergency care from The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, Australia

Husband and wife Malcolm and Maxine French are specialists in emergency care and are on a short visit to the UK, looking at ambulatory care. The service allows patients to be quickly seen for emergency but not immediately life threatening conditions.

The three hospitals in west Herts are among the pioneers of modern ambulatory care. Consultants see patients and order all diagnostic tests including x-rays, scans and blood tests. The majority of patients are seen and discharged on the same day, which means patients get seen quicker and it helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

Ed Donald, West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust’s chief operating officer said: “We were delighted to welcome Kevin and Maxine to our hospitals.

“We are very proud that they chose to visit us and to see how our ambulatory care system is working to benefit patients.

“Being early pioneers for ambulatory care has had many benefits, including helping to improve the care we provide to patients and allowing us to provide a more efficient service.

Malcolm and Maxine thanked the team who hosted their visit late last month. They said: “It was great to see a fully functioning ambulatory care service. We are looking to provide a similar service at our hospital.

“Thank you to all the staff for being so generous with their time and sharing their knowledge.”

For more information about west Herts’ hospitals, click here

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