RESPIRATORY ASSESSMENT UNIT RAU AT ELHT

RESPIRATORY ASSESSMENT UNIT (RAU)

The RAU will open on Monday 30th October to support winter resilience and ease patient flow through the Emergency Department. The RAU will manage patients (age 18+) with a range of respiratory conditions including COPD, asthma and pneumonia. The unit will focus on assessment, stabilisation and treatment of patients who require acute hospital services but who can be successfully discharged home the same day. The majority of referrals are expected to come from the front of the hospital and GPs will also be able to refer directly to the unit.

The unit will be run by the respiratory specialist nursing team and will have twice daily medical ward rounds weekdays and once daily on weekends (usually by Respiratory Consultants). Patients will receive the relevant BTS admission and discharge bundles and will be referred on to the relevant follow-up services in the community (e.g. specialist team follow-up, IHSS, pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation).

Opening hours: RAU opens 30th October 2017 at RBH as a 7 day service operating from 7.30am-10pm. The last admission time is 6pm.
Referral process: referrals can be made through the usual route for medical admissions, which is via Ambulatory Care 9.00-18.00 on 01254 734756. Outside these times medical admissions are via AMU on 01254 263555. If you wish to speak to a respiratory specialist nurse on the RAU then the direct line number to the unit is 01254 734623.

Alongside the RAU the Trust is implementing a Home Non-Invasive Ventilation service. This will support a very small number of patients who would otherwise have to travel to neighbouring acute trusts. The service with be led by Dr Iain Crossingham (Respiratory Physician) who will provide medical oversight of these patients and the RAU will provide support to this patient group. Dr Iain Crossingham will write to the individual patients responsible GP should a patient be established on Home Non-Invasive Ventilation.