Key members of the National Ambulatory Care Collaborative came to CHFT yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the ongoing development and expansion of our ambulatory units as part of the Safer Patient Programme.

Ambulatory care is a term used when care is generally provided on a specialist unit (either medical or surgical) to avoid having a stay in hospital.  This expansion would mean more of our patients could be safely treated through ambulatory units at both our main hospital sites, with access to senior medical opinion and diagnostics, often eliminating the need for admission to the bed base.  

As a part of his introductory statement, surgical consultant Mr Arin Saha (pictured second from left) said: “CHFT is committed to new ways of working and improving experience and treatment for patients.

“Ambulatory Care will be an important piece of strategy to take us forward. It’s important that we use expertise to help us achieve what we aspire to.”

The national team met Chief Operating Officer Helen Barker (pictured second from right), and toured the medical and surgical ambulatory areas at HRI. They also saw presentations by colleagues in these areas, in which they explained how the units operate and how the kind of patient experience they offer can improve on a traditional inpatient model.