Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 18 May 2024 at 10:01
On 17 October, partners working across Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System launched ‘Call Before You Convey’ – an initiative designed to reduce pressure on A&E departments.
The initiative helps ambulance teams in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough get patients to the most appropriate services and ensuring patients are seen by the most appropriate clinicals teams.The Call Before You Convey project features a new, dedicated phone number staffed by a team of nurse practitioners, prescribing practitioners, GPs and Emergency Medicine consultants.
When an ambulance team attends a patient, they can now use this dedicated number to reach the expert team who will advise on the best service for each patient. There are exclusion criteria, so if the patient has immediate care needs, the ambulance crew will take them straight to hospital.
The Call Before You Convey scheme builds on the success of an initial pilot in June, when 61% of incoming calls were directed away from A&E and towards more appropriate services.
This is a ‘Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System Winter Scheme’ which has been developed collaboratively with ambulance service, hospital, community, primary care and Local Authority partners.
It is currently open 10am-6pm Monday to Friday.
Terry Hicks, head of operations for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said:
“This initiative builds on a pilot during the summer and looks to provide ambulance staff with alternatives to unnecessarily conveying patients to the emergency departments where their care could be managed more appropriately by another service or within their own home.
“We are grateful to the clinicians staffing the telephone line for their expertise and supported decision-making with my crews."
Friday 28th October 2022