Same day emergency care services are enabling more people in the North West to get the rapid tests and treatment they need to avoid an overnight stay in hospital and helping to manage pressures on NHS services.

The numbers of people being treated and discharged in Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) units steadily increased during 2024, with more than 180,000 patients benefitting from this care during the 12-month period.

In Same Day Emergency care (SDEC) units, specialists can assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival who would otherwise have been admitted to hospital.

Every hospital trust in the North West now has an SDEC, typically co-located with the emergency department or acute medical unit, to assess and treat patients across a range of specialties, including medical, surgical, acute frailty, paediatrics and gynaecology, who need observation, diagnostics and care.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England – North West, said: “Same day emergency care services across the North West are ensuring patients with a range of conditions can access timely diagnosis, care and treatment, without admitting them to an inpatient bed.

“This not only supports better outcomes and a better patient experience, but as we continue to experience seasonal pressures, will help to keep beds available for those who need them most.”

Patients can be referred or booked in to SDEC treatment through different routes, including GP or community teams such are urgent community response (UCR), NHS 111, direct transfers from ambulance services, or via emergency departments (EDs).

SDEC services in the North West include:

• In Lancashire and South Cumbria, a 24/7 paediatric SDEC at Royal Blackburn Hospital within the Children’s Observation & Assessment Unit’ (COAU) can provide same day assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with a range of medical conditions across specialities including ear, nose and throat, urology and orthopaedic. The emergency department, North West Ambulance Service and community services like urgent community response and virtual wards can refer into the service, with children assessed, diagnosed and treated on the day of as an alternative to hospital admission. During 2024, the service saw more than 40,000 patients – a daily average of over 100 patients.
• In Cheshire and Merseyside, GPs can assess and refer patients directly into the 24/7 medical and surgical SDEC that is co-located with the emergency department at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Staff from ear, nose and throat, urology and the medical team work together in the unit,  which also takes referrals from triage nurses in the emergency department. Patients are assessed and treated same day, with options to return for further tests, such as blood tests, later. During 2024, the service saw more than 21,000 patients.
• The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, opened a Geriatric Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service in October 2022. The service acts as an urgent care wing for the elderly which enables them to bypass the hospital’s A&E department altogether and get to the right care faster. The service currently sees about 6-8 elderly patients per day, helping to free up critical space in A&E and other wards for patients with more acute problems, and importantly avoiding unnecessary hospital admission for many of these elderly patients. Currently around 75% of patients who attend the service are able to go home on the same day, but even where rapid discharge isn’t possible, the patient will get a more comprehensive assessment which results in them getting the right package of care to meet their needs faster.

Across England, latest data shows hospitals face continued pressure, with average 1,063 patients per day in hospital with norovirus – up more than 50% on the same week last year (683). In the North West, there were an average 86 patients in hospital with norovirus each day between 2-9 March.

However, figures published for January show that staff have continued to bring down waits for urgent and emergency care, with A&E performance and all categories of ambulance response times improved on both the month and year before. Around three quarters (73.4%) of patients were admitted, transferred, or discharged in A&E within four hours, while the average response for Category 2 ambulance calls was 31 minutes 22 seconds.

For non-urgent health advice and information about which service to use, people can use NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk or call 111. In the event of a life or limb threatening emergency people should continue to call 999 or attend A&E.