Emergency care initiative scoops HSJ Value Award
The Barts Emergency Access Co-ordination Hub (BEACH) won the HSJ Value Award in the Post Covid Sustainable Transformation Award category for its outstanding achievement in improving emergency care.
BEACH was recognised at the HSJ Value Awards 2021 ceremony on 2 September and it was against another seven initiatives. The win was a recognition of the trust’s commitment to providing the best possible care to our communities in one of the most challenging years for the NHS.
BEACH was launched in September 2020 and offers emergency care in different and innovative ways, rather than simply via face-to-face attendance in the emergency department.
Telephone hubs and ‘virtual consulting rooms’ offer alternative emergency care provision for patients that have either been referred to attend the emergency department by the 111 Clinical Assessment Service (‘’BEACH 111 pathway’) or where a London Ambulance Service paramedic crew is intending to convey the patient to the emergency department (‘BEACH ambulance pathway’). Clinical exclusions apply so there’s no risk for patients who require immediate hospital care.
"The BEACH demonstrates that secondary emergency care can be safely delivered to emergency patients in more sophisticated, coordinated ways. By creating an integrated system in collaboration with London Ambulance Service, BEACH is able to provide more appropriate, patient-centred emergency care whilst reducing the numbers of ambulances conveyed to hospital, and the number of patients walking-in", explains Tony Joy, emergency medicine and pre-hospital care consultant.
He adds: "Virtual consultations in the emergency setting are highly innovative, and have proven very effective at managing many emergency patients without them needed to attend the ED. We are very proud of this innovative model of care and the potential that BEACH offers in transforming emergency care delivery on a wider scale."
The service has reviewed 8,000 patients with over 50% being either discharged or offered more appropriate emergency care than simply attending the ED at the time. In addition, BEACH patients who remain with an ED disposition are assessed and treated faster upon arrival to the emergency department than non-BEACH patients.
But wait, there's more...
One of our partnered services also took home a win - the Tower Hamlets Together Born Well, Growing Well Asthma and Wheeze Project won 'Paediatric Care Initiative of the Year'. Royal London paediatric respiratory clinician, Dr Chinedu Nwokoro, was a part of the project.
Congratulations also goes to the Physician Response Unit (PRU), a collaboration between Barts Health, London’s Air Ambulance Charity and the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS), who were highly commended at last night’s award.
Congratulations to all of our finalists and partners that were shortlisted for the awards – we are very proud.
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