About 65 high-acuity patients are admitted every day to the 48-bedded Acute Medical Unit (AMU) in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE). Anecdotal reports suggested that poor handover and planning at the time of transfer was resulting in deterioration and referral to the hospital at night team (H@N) and delays in discharge. The project hypothesis was that standardising handover at transfers from the AMU would ensure safer and more efficient transfers. The aims of this study were:
• To reduce weekly referrals to H@N of general medicine (GM) patients who are within 16 hours of transfer from AMU by 20% by 31 May 2014.
• To reduce length of stay of GM patients who are discharged within 48 hours of transfer by 10% by 31 May 2014.
