10-12 June 2009, Liverpool
The NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition 2009 Local leadership: a national service provided a high-quality programme, insightful speakers and the chance for ASN members to network.
The ASN held two sessions at Conference on Transforming Critical Care and Improving emergency and urgent care for mental health patients, and also participated in the conference strand session, Redesigning Urgent Care. The powerpoint presentations are available to download.
Transforming critical care
The session looked at critical care and explored the ambulance service's contribution to delivering world class services for the most critical, seriously ill patients.
Professor Keith Willet, national clinical director for trauma care addressed an area of critical care; older people suffering from hip fractures and also considered major trauma regional networks and transfer specialist centres.
Paul Sutton, chief executive South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) outlined three areas to improve patients’ outcomes in critical care; clinical competence, system design and human factors, and the involvement of SECAMB critical care paramedics in critical care incidents.
Improving emergency and urgent care for mental health patients
The ASN joint session with the Mental Health Network explored how partnership working between ambulance and mental health services can improve outcomes for people experiencing mental health problems.
Hugh Griffiths, deputy national director of mental health looked at past and current policy on mental health and integrated working in a modern mental health system.
Liz Kendall, ASN director highlighted how ambulance services currently have limited options on helping patients with mental health concerns, resulting in patients being taken to A&E when they could ideally be better treated in the community or at home. Some ambulance services have begun to establish better links with mental health services and examples of good practice were highlighted.
Matt Stringer, acting business unit lead, Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust focused on the responsibilities of ambulance services, mental health services and police when transporting mental health patients.
NHS Confederation conference session Redesigning urgent care
Liz Kendall chaired and also spoke at the session setting out the need to prioritise urgent care to improve quality for patients and productivity for the ambulance service.
Jon Nicholl, director of research, School of Health and Related Research looked at what makes a good emergency and urgent care system. Marilyn Simpson, programme director, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT considered whole system reconfiguration for unscheduled care.