Timely consultation and discharge at an out of hours primary care centre - Dr Lisa Carter, GP and Associate Clinical Director, Lothian Unscheduled Care Service (LUCS)
Timely consultation and discharge at an out of hours primary care centre - Dr Lisa Carter, GP and Associate Clinical Director, Lothian Unscheduled Care Service (LUCS)
Edinburgh’s Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) Primary Care Centre (PCC) sees people as directed by NHS24 telephone triage from 1800 to midnight Monday to Friday and from 0800 to midnight at the weekends. Discharge by midnight allows people (both patients and staff) to either get home or transfer to secondary care in a timely fashion. Repeated late closure of RVH PCC was identified by colleagues. Late closure has knock on effects on other LUCS service users’ care (if the overnight doctor delays starting home visits to see people at RVH PCC) and staff morale. Aim – to deliver RVH PCC closure by midnight on 95% of weekday evenings, and to start consultation with 95% of patients within 20 minutes of their arrival at RVH PCC on weekday evenings, by 31st May 2016.
