Heartbeat: SPA service reassures patients about COVID safety
January 17, 2021
The Single Point of Access (SPA) team has been working closely with West Midlands Ambulance and GPs to ensure that patients who need emergency care attend hospital.
The SPA team is contacted for support by either the patient’s GP or paramedics if a person they are looking after refuses to go to the hospital because of COVID-19.
A member of the SPA team will reassure the patient that it is safe to attend our emergency departments that have non-COVID and COVID areas, and talk them through what measures are in place.
The Trust assesses all patients before and upon arrival to check if they have COVID-19 symptoms. Anyone entering our buildings receives a surgical face mask to wear and, hand sanitiser.
When being seen, we ensure that the patients and staff are wearing the right PPE; including face masks, gloves, aprons and visors, where necessary. We educate patients in the correct way to wear PPE and about social distancing. Our staff observe social distancing and, we have frequent and thorough cleaning in place, which is especially important between every patient.
Janice Barrett, Lead Nurse for SPA, which is the first port of call for GPs who are referring patients needing urgent care, introduced the new element into the service.
She explained: “We have been successfully supporting GPs and paramedics so that patients who are reluctant to attend hospital will get the care they need. Whether this is by either reassuring them about the safety measures in place or explaining how important it is they receive this care or arranging further support at home.
“Patients are very receptive to a call from the team and, there have been many examples where we have been able to ensure that a person receives the correct care by coming to our hospitals.
“There was an incident where a young patient was suffering from an underlying illness and, the carer was hesitant about sending the child into the hospital when the paramedics went to her home. I spoke to the carer about the risks involved, and as a result, the child is now being managed by our clinicians.
“This shows good collaborative working between SPA, GPs and West Midlands Ambulance Service. SPA continues to go from strength to strength as we introduce innovative and new ways to support our patients. We are also able to provide clear documentation to the patient outlining the concerns of the referring clinician ensuring that patients receive the care they need efficiently. This fulfils the GMC’s delegation and referral guidance.
“To help us manage all our resources together, if you are not calling 999, then please refer to SPA.”