13th November 2024
NIAS established a clinical support desk in 2017 which involved a small team of clinicians performing secondary triage.
In November 2023, we launched the Integrated Clinical Hub (ICH), a reformed our service model, dedicated to advancing patient safety and appropriate timely care.
Our recruitment drives brought in the largest intake of new clinicians, whose completion of training in early 2024 has enabled us to quickly establish an effective team to deliver enhanced patient safety.
The impact has been substantial with over 38,000 patients receiving a call back from one of the team and receiving an additional clinical assessment so far in 2024. From this work, the team has assessed as appropriate for discharge or referral to another service, over 7,000 patients ensuring the right care, first time. Additionally, this has also meant a significant number of emergency resources are free and available for those patients whose need is more urgent, ensuring that response is also enhanced and more timely.
A key aim of the new ICH development strategy was to expand and establish remote ICH hubs around the region, similar to that opened in Ballymena Ambulance Station in June. This facilitates access for locally based clinicians to join the team and provides an improved service for patients, whilst ensuring our staff have a much-needed work life balance.
The success of the Ballymena site is already evident, and today we officially open the site in Castlederg with further plans for a similar facility in Armagh. This network of hubs breaks down historical recruitment barriers and provides strategic resilience to the vital function of the Integrated Clinical Hub.
The implementation of this enhanced care model will mean that more people of Northern Ireland, when calling the Ambulance service, may receive a call back from one of our ICH clinicians to take further information on a patient’s condition or injury. This will ensure that the response we provide for patients is more intelligent and tailored to the needs of patients.
Anyone with an emergency should not hesitate and call 999 immediately.