A SPECIALIST hospital team has been easing pressure in A&E by treating approximately 300 patients a month who would otherwise be in hospital beds.

The Rowan Ambulatory Unit at the Horton Hospital in Banbury has been receiving patient referrals from the Emergency Department, GPs, and wards within the hospital and then provides treatment and helps patients receive community or home-based care.

The team, which treats a wide variety of conditions, ranging from chest pains, deep vein thrombosis, infected wounds, and cellulitis, is part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s work to bring down bed blocking across the trust.

Jayne Brown, ward manager of the Rowan Ambulatory Unit, said: “We’re really pleased with how the unit is working.

“No-one wants to be in hospital longer than they need to be, and we work hard to make sure people are back with their home comforts and loved ones as soon as it’s safe for them to be there.

“We are also able to offer treatments in a day unit setting that means that patients do not have to be admitted to hospital, but can go back to their own homes on the same day.

“This means that the pressure on our emergency department is reduced, beds are freed up, and our patients are happier.

“Some of the feedback we’ve received from friends and family has been really positive, which is great to hear.”

The unit also recently extended its opening hours to 8am to 8pm, meaning referrals can be received later in the day, so that patients can still be referred for same-day treatment even from afternoon GP surgeries.

John Drew, director of Improvement and Culture at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Winter is always a difficult time for hospitals, so the unit has really come into its own over the colder months to support the additional attendances at our emergency department and in GP practices.”

Bed blocking - caused when a patient cannot be discharged because of a lack of onward care - has been a particular problem in Oxfordshire’s acute hospitals for many years.

The impact of bed blocking was evident last winter when the trust, which also runs the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, was forced to cancel a number of non-urgent operations as it did not have enough available beds.