19th June 2024
NIAS established a clinical support desk in 2017 which involved a small team of clinicans performing secondary triage. Whist effective, it had limitations in overseeing the broader 999 call volume.
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 recent recruitment drive 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 3,700 patients being assessed as appropriate for discharge or referral to another services, which has meant to preservation of precious emergency resources for those patients requiring a higher acuity of response.
A key part of this plan is to expand and establish remote ICH hubs like we have done here within the Ballymena site, around the region, to provide access for locally based clinicians to join the team and provide this much needed improved service for patients. This allows our staff to contribute to improving our service, without the need to travel long distances into our Belfast control room, therefore providing patients with the service they need but ensuring our staff have a much need work life balance.
The success of the Ballymena site is already evident, and we are excited about expanding to further suitable sites where we can replicate this model.
This enhanced care model being implemented will mean that the people of Northern Ireland, when making contact with 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.
