Patients who are 75 and over can now be referred to the new Beech Frailty Unit at King George Hospital to help avoid unnecessary inpatient admissions.
The unit will identify eligible patients who would benefit from outpatient services, community care and treatment in their own homes, rather than be admitted into hospital.
It will provide diagnostics and support to assess and manage patients using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), which is a multidimensional, interdisciplinary diagnostic process to determine the medical, psychological, and functional capabilities of an older person in order to develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long-term follow up. The service has input from physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, a case manager (typically a nurse specialist), doctors with geriatric expertise (but not necessarily a geriatrician), social worker and pharmacist, for multidisciplinary assessment.
However, please do not just send patients to the unit. They will not be accepted until the GP and clinician have discussed an individual’s case first.
Patients will NOT be accepted if they have:
The unit is open between 10.00 hours and 17.00 hours Monday to Friday.
The Frailty Lead Nurse/designated clinician will take calls and accept suitable patients. To refer a patient, call 020 8970 8035 or 020 8970 5770 to speak to a clinician, in order to prevent unnecessary attendance at the Emergency Department.
GP referrals will only be seen when there has been a conversation between the GP and the clinical team and the referral has been accepted.
On arrival at the unit, the patient is registered at the administration desk and the nurse in charge will direct the patient to the appropriate clinical area and inform medical team/senior frailty lead.
Within 15 minutes of arrival, the nursing team will assess vital signs, then complete an ECG, take a history to establish baseline, and document Clinical Frailty Score (LAS do not need to assess this). Risk assessments and care plans will be initiated: falls, pressure ulcer, MUST (malnutrition universal screening tool), AMTS (abbreviated mental test score) etc.
The patient will be assessed by the medical team/frailty lead who will document and execute the management plan. Patients will be referred to the therapy team for full functional assessment; the social work team, and voluntary agencies (such as Red Cross or Age UK) if necessary.
Direct telephone line:
020 8970 8035
0208 970 5770
Hours of Operation:
10.00 hours - 17.00 hours Monday to Friday
Location of Service :
Beech Ward
King George Hospital