New unit opens to support emergency patients at Good Hope Hospital
Published on 29/07/2024
A unit designed to support the safety and safe discharge of patients in the Emergency Department (ED) at Good Hope Hospital is now open.
The Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has 10 recliner chairs. It’s a designated area where safe and timely clinical decisions can be made for patients who come to ED with specific emergency conditions.
A typical CDU patient will need either a period of observation, an investigation, or a short course of therapy to treat a defined condition, or a combination of these.
Dr Sarafina Vatharkar, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Clinical Service Lead at Good Hope Hospital, added: “Our new Clinical Decision Unit will improve our patients’ experience of urgent and emergency care. We want patients to be seen and treated in the most appropriate place for them, and in a timely manner.
"This clinical space gives us another pathway to care for this group of patients.” The opening of the unit is part of the hospital’s efforts to achieve the four-hour standard for its emergency patients.
"The four-hour standard is a key priority set by NHS England and outlines that 76% of patients attending ED should be admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours of arrival.
"The standard exists to ensure that those in need of urgent and emergency care can access it within a safe timeframe."
