Annual Report and Accounts - The Great Western Hospital

3.20 New or significantly revised services
Wiltshire Community Health Services – As referred to elsewhere in this report (section 1 refers)
with effect from 1 June 2011 the Trust took over the provision of Wiltshire Community Health
Services.
Improving the way we care for ambulatory patients - Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) and
Ambulatory Care Unit pilot - At the beginning of November the Trust began a six month pilot to
relocate the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) and opened an Ambulatory Care Unit at GWH.
Ambulatory patients are those who are capable of walking and who require acute hospital medical
attention.
These changes were designed to:
• Increase the size of AAU, which is re-named the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and will better
match the demand from the number of daily medical admissions into the hospital. It will
continue to be a specialist area providing care for patients requiring admission for up to 72
hours or needing acute medical assessment and treatment prior to referral to specialty
teams.
• Set up a fast track Assessment and Diagnostic area in the current AAU space close to the
Emergency Department to treat patients without having to admit them overnight to hospital,
called the Ambulatory Care Unit.
There is clear evidence from elsewhere in the NHS that this way of providing care for AAU and
ambulatory patients improves their care and experience in hospital and the initial pilot proved
successful therefore the Ambulatory model will become a permanent feature in the Trust acting as
a bridge between primary care, community and acute services.
3.21 Improvement in patient / carer information
The Trust has established a Patient Information Group with a view to improving the quality and
range of patient information available. This has included a more standardised approach to patient
literature.
Towards the end on 2011/12, the Trust began work on a new patient bedside booklet which will
provide a range of patient information and advice for patients when admitted. This is being trialled
on a couple of wards and reviewed by patient representatives before roll out across Great Western
Hospital. The Trust will then look to prepare a version for community hospitals.
In July 2011, the Trust launched a new website to provide more accurate and timely information to
patients and visitors regarding Trust services. The website has thousands of visitors each month
and it is kept up to date, with information being presented in new formats such as video, and these
are proving popular.
3.22 Focusing on the patient
3.22.1 Productive Ward
The Productive Ward initiative was introduced at GWH in 2008/09. The aim of the project is to
increase direct patient care. The roll out has continued and now all 21 wards are at varying stages
Page 27 of 211