Right care, right place | News and events

People at Peterborough City Hospital whose condition is deteriorating rapidly are getting the right care, in the location they want, thanks to a new pilot.

Since May 2023, specialist nurses have worked with staff at the hospital to ensure patients who are being considered for a ‘fast track’ referral get the right help in the right location as fast as possible. The ‘fast track’ referral route is specifically for people whose health has been rapidly declining, and who may be entering the end-of-life stage. People in this position may not want to stay in hospital, and may choose to go home or be discharged into a care or nursing home.

A fast decline in health is an incredibly difficult and stressful experience, both for patients and their loved ones.  It is important that health services focus on people in this position so that they can receive the care they need in their community as quickly as possible, supporting them to leave hospital if this is their wish.

Since the start of Peterborough’s fast-track pilot, we have seen more rapid discharges meaning greater time for individuals out in the community as people are discharged into more appropriate services for their needs. The number of fast-track referrals into continuing healthcare that were being declined due to ineligibility has also dropped, meaning fewer people experience further stresses and instead, get onto the right discharge pathway for them sooner.

Following the success of the pilot, we are now reviewing how we can roll out these improvements more widely to include other acute hospitals in the region and help support individuals in their own homes – helping people at a very difficult time in their lives, get back to their communities and close to their support networks to receive the right care.