Basildon EM Handbook 2018

Hospital Admission

March 2018 | by EMauthor

Beds at Basildon University Hospital always seem to be short, but with each patient who may require hospital admission, your responsibility is to that individual patient, regardless of the bed state. If you have difficulty getting a member of the specialty team on call to accept a patient, tell the specialty doctor that you would like to refer the patient for a specialty opinion. Then ask him/her whether they will accept the referral or not. If he/she refuses to accept the referral, then document the name of the specialty doctor and a record of your conversation in the ED card. Please inform the consultant or an ED senior whatever time of day or night.

Social factors have to be taken into account. On weekdays, there is the Frailty Team available to the department whose assistance should be sought as early as possible regarding potential admissions. Physiotherapy is also available in the department.

We have good relations with colleagues in the acute specialties catered for at Basildon hospital. Urgent admission will normally be arranged through the SHO. The specialty SHOs will help with opinions when you are uncertain, but please try to make a diagnosis first and make your own preliminary decision about management.

 The documented ‘advice’ of a colleague, although important to explain your rationale, does not override clinical assessment. If you would like a senior colleague to physically review a patient please ask him or her to do so: only accept advice if that is what you are asking for.

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