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Easier access to care for older people with Sláintecare Age Related Care Team

Wexford General Hospital (WGH) and CHO 5 South East Community Healthcare are integrating acute and community services for older people with their project Age Related Care (ARC) Team, which is funded by Sláintecare.

ARC provides Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments for older people who are referred to the service by the acute hospital as well as through community health services.

Karina Somers, Advanced Nurse Practitioner explained that they wanted to build on services that already existed but to integrate the work of the team to make care easier to access for older people:

“With a team including an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, a Senior Dietitian, a Medical Social Worker, a Senior Occupational Therapist, Senior Physiotherapist, we can integrate services, and give patients a route to make their care pathway more straightforward”.

Aideen McGuinness, Senior Dietitian says:

“Results of this project have been great for team members and patients, most of whom now rapidly get an appointment for a full geriatric assessment. This can be a long appointment, but it allows patients to access a range of services in one visit, avoiding multiple trips to hospital, and it reduces waiting times for individual services”.

Other results include:

  • Waiting times for a geriatrician appointment have reduced from six months to six weeks.
  • The team had a target of 1,200 patients visiting the clinic, and achieved 2,389.
  • The non-attendance rate at appointments is usually 10% and this has reduced to 3% for this project.
  • Applications for long term care from the acute setting have reduced by 12%, with a potential saving of €440,000.
  • Delayed discharges have been reduced by 14%

Like a lot of services, ARC experienced disruption due to COVID, however they used some of these challenges to their advantage. Phone discussions in advance of appointments to screen for COVID reduced fear amongst their patients and increased attendance. As a result of social distancing guidelines, groups sizes for classes and other activities are smaller, which helps patients feel more comfortable, and allows them to get to know their doctors, nurses and therapists better.

Patient feedback has been really positive, with one patient saying it was an “Exceptional service” Another patient said that:

“The morning is long but it is great to have seen the full team”.

One service user's son said,

“My mam is a new woman after attending the appointment”.

ARC has been successful in securing long term funding through the Enhanced Community Care fund, meaning that patients will be able to access these comprehensive services on a long term basis. The aim of the team is to expand their services in to four further locations in Wexford, New Ross, Enniscorthy and Gorey so that patients can have their appointments locally, and be able to provide home visits, really providing the right care in the right place at the right time.