This month has seen the launch of more exciting services that FCMS are delivering or supporting with. Take a look below to find out more.
Trailblazer Service (Morecambe Bay)
This is a brand new pilot service for 14 weeks aimed at patients that have been discharged from hospital but require further medical support.
Patients stay for up to 6 weeks in a care unit where they will be supported by a multi-disciplinary team that includes social care, mental health, social prescribers, digital health and pharmacy. This helps to ease bed pressures at the hospital and ensures patients receive the right level of care in the most appropriate setting.
Clinical Assessment Service (Doncaster)
FCMS has been successfully managing a Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) across Morecambe and Fylde Coast areas since November 2020. We’ve now built on this success to develop the Doncaster service. This includes use of the clinical system ‘CLEO‘ (already in use in Morecambe & Fylde Coast) which helps to manage the volume and complexity of future cases coming into the CAS.
The CAS acts as an extra level of clinical validation so that healthcare professionals can make the best possible decision about how to support patients closer to home, potentially avoiding unnecessary trips to A&E.
The Doncaster CAS is integrated with Morecambe Bay and Fylde Coast, meaning clinicians can manage referrals from any location. We can therefore manage peaks in demand, particularly during Winter.
Virtual Ward (Morecambe Bay)
FCMS began providing virtual ward services during the pandemic and we’re delighted to now deliver a new virtual ward service in Morecambe Bay. Patients are admitted onto the virtual ward either as an alternative to being admitted to hospital or for onward supervision after being discharged.
The patient is given an equipment package which includes a phone/tablet, a sensor that measures your blood oxygen levels, and a thermometer. Patients take daily readings and input the data through an app (Docobo). The FCMS team of clinicians remotely monitor the patient until they are well enough to be discharged.
We work closely with colleagues from the hospital and community teams as well as the patient’s GP practice to ensure patients are cared for within the comfort of their homes, surrounded by families and friends.
Within FCMS this service is delivered through the Primary Care Support Team. This is managed by a combination of admin/operational staff, as well as our clinical team including HCAs, Nurse Associates, Practice Nurses & ANPs. This service enables patients to stay at home with the same level of care as if they were in hospital, thereby helping to reduce pressures on Primary & Secondary Care.
