About our service
The single point of access helps professionals arrange the right care for urgent and non-urgent referrals, helping to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and effectively manage long-term conditions in the community.
Urgent calls will be dealt with by a senior nurse - direct professional to professional contact.
Who can be referred?
Any patient registered with a Birmingham GP can be referred, provided they are aged 18 or over and:
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at high risk of an avoidable admission and in need of urgent assessment
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require non-urgent nursing or therapy services in their own home
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require management of complex long-term conditions; palliative/end- of-life care in their own home.
Who can refer?
The single point of access welcomes referrals from:
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GPs and practice nurses
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GP out-of-hours service
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A&E and other hospital staff
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community health and social care services
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ambulance crews
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nursing and residential care homes
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patients and carers known to the service.
What services are provided?
The single point of access is supported by a comprehensive model of community care, which proactively supports patients in the community as the preferred action. The multidisciplinary teams include:
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senior nurses with advanced clinical assessment, diagnostic and prescribing skills
care staff -
physiotherapy and occupational therapy support
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social workers
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registered mental health nurses.
The single point of access can co-ordinate care delivery including:
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advanced assessments within two hours for patients needing urgent health interventions and care who can remain at home
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access to acute bed bureau for medical/surgical admissions
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step-down to community nursing for longer term needs
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four-hour response for patients needing district nursing care, long-term condition management and treatment at home
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provision of urgent equipment to avoid acute hospital admission
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admission to community bed-based services, where appropriate
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intravenous antibiotics
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assessment for domiciliary therapy (physiotherapy and occupational therapy)
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liaison with patient’s GP to effectively manage clinical care at home and the wider health and social care system.