Ealing Hospital is taking part in a one-year pilot looking into ‘high intensity’ patients who regularly use the accident and emergency service to help understand why they are attending and what help they need.
The hospital, part of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, says high intensity users who attend A&E at least six times in as many months include patients with alcohol and substance abuse, mental health problems, long term medical conditions and medically unexplained symptoms.
Harshal Goswami, who is Ealing Hospital’s high intensity user case worker, looks at up to 25 cases a month for the Trust and how patients can be better supported and sign-posted to more relevant services.
Ms Goswami said: “We have one individual who has come in more than 50 times but when under observation shows no signs of distress or ill health. We look into a patient’s medical history and socio-economic situation to see if there are any underlying patterns to their behaviour and what we can do to help.”
She added: “It involves some detective work and I liaise with everyone from housing and social services to community and voluntary groups if we spot a trigger which may be causing frequent attendances. It can be something as simple as loneliness or poor living accommodation and we work with agencies to address that. Sometimes, people aren’t confidant enough to self-manage an existing condition like COPD.”
