The NHS in the South East remains committed to improving patient experience as part of a national plan to help recover urgent and emergency care services.

The two-year plan, published by the NHS and government in January last year, was launched amid record demand for NHS services, with data at the time showing more A&E attendances than ever before; growing numbers of the most serious ambulance call outs; and millions of NHS 111 calls a month over winter.

Thanks to the continued efforts of NHS staff and others working in collaboration across the South East, more than 317,091 patients were seen and treated in urgent and emergency care services over the past year.

Vaughan Lewis, NHS England South East’s Medical Director said:

“Despite winter pressures, significant demand and junior doctor’s industrial action, the sheer volume of care delivered by NHS staff, both nationally and regionally for patients is impressive, with tens of thousands of people receiving safe, high quality urgent and emergency care.

“However, there is still a long way to go, and we know that the pressure is not going to ease while the impact of winter, including flu, Covid and other viruses are with us.

“The public should continue to come forward for the care they need, contacting their GP or 111 online with any health concerns and only using 999 and A&E in emergencies.”

The region has a total of 32 Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) which help towards easing pressure on hospitals, leaving busy emergency departments (EDs) to treat the most seriously unwell patients. The centres – open at least 12 hours a day, every day with appointments being offered through 111 or by GP referral – are led by a named clinical leader and supported by an appropriate multi-clinical disciplinary team.

The number of Minor Injury Units (MIUs) and walk-in centres have also grown in number, with 28 across the region.

The introduction of virtual wards, which allow patients to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than in hospital, have gone from strength-to-strength with a total of 1,866 ‘beds’ across 75 virtual wards in the South East. Working with social care partners, virtual wards help to speed up discharge from hospital and get patients home and continue to reduce long waits for elective care.

There are 74 Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) services set-up in the region to benefit both patients and the healthcare system by reducing waiting times and admissions to hospitals.

The region has 28 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) freeing up hospital capacity by offering MRI and CT scans, and other services closer to patients’ homes, often in the heart of local communities.

Case studies

• Working in partnership, NHS Trusts in Kent and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) launched two clinical co-ordination hubs last year to help reduce pressure on A&E, guide patients to more appropriate services, and to ensure 999 calls are receiving the most appropriate response. The hubs were initially launched on a trial basis but have been extended due to showing good results.
  • Since the beginning of November 2023, the Ashford Integrated Care Hub at SECAmb’s Ashford Make Ready Centre has made over 1,562 contacts with crews and discharged 580 patients on scene; avoided Emergency Department (ED) for 797 patients where the original plan was to convey to ED; supported 100 medical SDEC referrals and 77 UTC referrals and 100 Urgent Community Response (UCR) referrals; arranged 180 GP in ED appointments; and referred 235 patients directly into a home treatment team/frailty.
  • Since the beginning of October last year, the West Kent Clinical Coordination Hub at SECAmb’s Paddock Wood Make Ready Centre has made over 1,200 contacts with crews and discharged 192 patients on scene; avoided ED for 470 patients where the original plan was to convey to ED; supported 61 medical SDEC referrals and 18 surgical SDEC referrals; arranged 85 GP in ED appointments; and referred 174 patients directly into a home treatment team.
• Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Frailty Team has launched a new same day emergency care service (SDEC) for patients at Frimley Park Hospital to help ease pressures on the emergency department (ED) and ensure frailty patients get the specific care they need.  Patients who meet the frailty criteria (aged over 65 and a frailty score of six and above) and are likely to be discharged that day, are identified by the team in ED and diverted to the Frailty SDEC for a full assessment. The SDEC service launched earlier this month and in the first two weeks, the average referral time was 15 minutes and more than half of patients went home the same day.
• Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is also significantly expanding its UEC virtual wards for patients at both Frimley and Wexham Park Hospitals, resulting in thousands of patients having shorter stays in hospital and avoiding admission altogether. Thanks to additional funding being secured, 10 new specialist staff are being recruited which will increase capacity in the virtual wards to 60 patients at any one time – with an estimated 2,000 patients expected to be seen in the next 12 months. Frimley Health was one of the first hospital Trusts in the country to introduce the UEC virtual wards in November 2022. The Trust’s analysis of the first 12 months shows the service has seen 97% of patients discharged having been successfully cared for in their own homes, with just 3% needing to be admitted to a hospital bed.
• In November and December last year, Frimley Health and Care opened two new Urgent Care Centres for residents. The urgent care centres provide additional primary care appointments for minor conditions such as chest infections, skin infections, or urinary tract infections.
• An Oxfordshire-wide initiative, which is helping people to return home from hospital more quickly and continue their recovery in the comfort of their own home, has shown significant improvements for patients since it was launched in November 2023. The initiative called Discharge to Assess (D2A), enables people who have had a stay in hospital to continue their recovery in the comfort of their own home, close to the communities that support them. The national programme brings together hospital-based teams from health, adult social care, therapy and reablement to plan a patient’s best route out of hospital, as well as provide a more joined up way to receive support once at home. Recent weekly figures show that of the 105 people in Oxfordshire who were medically fit to be discharged from hospital but were still considered as needing additional care support, 91 were enabled to return home to continue their recovery through the D2A pathway.