Referrals

Referrals to the day hospital are made by:

• GP's
• Consultants
• Public Health Nurses
• Nurses
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists

Each referral is discussed at a weekly team meeting. Urgent referrals seen within one week and all other patients are seen within a four to six-weeks. Patients who attend the day hospital include those with:

• Multiple medical problems
• Cognitive impairment
• Complex psychosocial needs
• Impaired mobility
• Poor nutrition or incontinence problems
• those requiring multidisciplinary input

Other Services

The day hospital works with other departments for back-up treatment and diagnosis. These can be rapidly accessed when necessary. For example:

• X-ray
• CT scanning
• Doppler scanning
• Echo
• Pathology tests

Other services that we provide are 24 hour holter and blood pressure monitoring.

We work with:

• Clinical Nurse Specialists (respiratory nurse, diabetes nurse)
• Dieticians
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Social Workers
• Alcohol and smoking cessation coordinators

Our Aim

Our aim is to facilitate independence. We do this by assessing needs of the patients and striving to meet them within their community. We achieve this using a multidisciplinary approach. Patients and carers are encouraged to become involved in setting and meeting of treatment goals. We provide ongoing treatment and support post discharge. We support ongoing professional development and training in seeking out best practice.

Staff

Our staff include:

• Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine
• Medical Registrar
• Clinical Nurse Managers
• Staff Nurse
• Senior Physiotherapist/Staff Physiotherapist
• Occupational Therapist Manager
• Clerical Officer
• Care Attendant
• Catering Attendant