An Audit of Information Provided to Paramedics / A&E Staff on Transfer to the Colchester General Hospital

AIMS: Following feedback from paramedics and staff, escorting patients to the A&E, concerns were raised when some information was missed during the verbal handover from patient/escorting staff to the ambulance/A&E staff. At times the purpose of the transfer was not clear. Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) “Discharge and Transfer Clinical Guidelines” ( CG24) provides clear guidelines to staff when a person is transferred while in the care of the Trust to another service such as another acute trust or, discharged from EPUT services completely. However, there are no current guidelines available for transferring patients for clinical reasons: in case of emergency or acute medical condition, for specialist treatment or investigation. The standard was used: the “Ambulance handover to emergency care standard V1.0” created by Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB). 100% of patients should have a support letter from doctors with relevant information shared with paramedics or the A&E department on transfer to a general hospital. The scope of the audit was Peter Bruff Mental Health Assessment Unit and Ardleigh Acute Inpatient Ward. METHODS: The data were collected retrospectively from notes available on the electronic health record database (Paris). The audit tool focused on quantitative and qualitative data collection on patient transfer. Inclusion criteria: all patients admitted to the Peter Bruff MH Assessment Unit (male and female) and the Ardleigh Ward (female) over the period from 1 September to 15 September 2022. All data were anonymised. Results were tabulated and presented in statistical form back to the clinical teams. RESULTS: There were identified 18 male and 33 female patients on the Peter Bruff MH Assessment Unit. 2 patients were sent to the A&E via ambulance and 4 patients attended the A&E with staff escort. A support letter was available on one occasion. Compliance 17%. Within the analysed period there were 15 female patients identified on the Ardleigh ward. 5 patients attended the A&E. A support letter was available on two occasions. Compliance 40%. CONCLUSION: All transfers should be managed in a sensitive way ensuring all communication is clear, to promote robust information sharing between inpatient wards and A&E. A template of the care summary and handover letter was created, which provided a standard structure of headings that is meaningful to clinicians and patients.