Reducing pressure in your hospital

Two initiatives introduced recently in Medway and Swale are helping cut waiting times in the Emergency Department at Medway Maritime Hospital, and enabling some patients to receive inpatient care closer to home.

The introduction of virtual wards, and the opening of the new Frailty Unit at Sheppey Community Hospital in Minster, have been developed as part of a national project known as HARIS (which stands for Hospital Ambulance Reception Improvement System).

HARIS is designed to support hospitals and ambulance services to hand over patients safely and without delay to reduce pressure within the system and improve the experience of patients both in the hospital and in the community.

Keep an eye out for further updates in future editions of the HaCP newsletter to learn how this project develops for patients across Medway and Swale.