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- Talk
- 20/09/2022
- UK
Positive Impact of Walk In Trauma Clinics on the NHS Post Covid 19
Description
In this presentation, Raghav Nand discusses a QI (Quality Improvement) project conducted at Scunthorpe General Hospital, focusing on the establishment of a walk-in trauma clinic and its effects on patient care in the context of the post-COVID NHS landscape.
Beginning with an overview of the challenges faced by the NHS during the pandemic, Nand highlights how emergency departments experienced intense pressure and how the introduction of walk-in clinics aimed to alleviate this burden by providing timely access to specialized orthopedic care for patients referred by GPs and A&E. Throughout the presentation, he outlines three key metrics evaluated: average waiting time in A&E, time taken to receive radiographic imaging, and accessibility to follow-up fracture clinic appointments.
Data was gathered from 100 patients randomly selected from two distinct periods: pre-COVID (October 2019) and during COVID (April 2020). Results revealed a significant reduction in patient waiting times, with average A&E durations dropping from 197 minutes to 27 minutes and x-ray wait times falling from 81 minutes to 66 minutes. Additionally, the average waiting time for consultation and management plans improved markedly.
Nand further emphasizes the benefits of the clinic, noting that 56% of patients were discharged on the same day without further follow-up, and described how the time to receive an appointment in the fracture clinic was reduced substantially. The overall conclusion drawn is that the walk-in clinic has made a considerable positive impact on patient care and NHS operations, improving efficiency, reducing unnecessary admissions, and enhancing learning opportunities for junior doctors.