ED Bypass Unit for Sickle Cell patients opens at LGT
Adults in Lewisham and Greenwich living with sickle cell disease are benefiting from the launch of an innovative Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) led initiative at University Hospital Lewisham.
The ED Bypass Unit for Sickle Cell patients is designed to provide immediate and specialised care for patients experiencing sickle cell crises and related complications. This two-bed unit is the first its kind in the UK to be led by a team of ACPs with additional support from a consultant.
Located on the Laurel Ward, it serves as an Emergency Department (ED) bypass unit, reducing waits for treatment and pain management and is helping the Trust deliver on its target to treat patients within 30 minutes of their arrival at hospital.
During this initial phase, the unit will operate with a limited schedule, concentrating on weekday services from 9am to 8pm. The team are already planning their next steps, which include extending these hours to weekends, with the strategic goal of achieving 24-hour operations by early 2026.
Patients can be referred to the unit by colleagues from the Emergency Department, London Ambulance Service, and can also call the unit to speak with our expert sickle cell team. Those eligible and in need of treatment at the unit must first call ahead to allow the team to determine whether their condition is suitable for treatment at the unit and if a bed is available.
LGT serves the fifth largest sickle cell population in the UK, with around 450 adults eligible to benefit from improvements to emergency sickle cell provision in the area.
Our aim with the bypass unit and its tailored patient care model is to reduce the risk of patients being admitted to hospital, reduce the rates of re-attendance with better management of the condition and to reduce the length of hospital stays. Opening this new unit emphasises our commitment to providing exceptional care that focuses on an individual’s symptoms and circumstances.
Dr Tullie Yeghen, Haematologist and Lead Haemoglobinopathy Consultant said: “Our patients tend to have problems in the Emergency Department, mainly due to long waits. They present feeling very unwell, in a lot of pain, and face long waits, particularly time to analgesia which is falls outside the recommendation that it should be under 30 minutes.
“This ED Bypass Unit for Sickle Cell patients is going to mean that the patients have direct access to a specialist team of advanced clinical practitioners. The patients will be able to access care almost immediately.”
The ongoing working relationship between patients, their families and the team is key to the success of the unit and aids in removing barriers to receiving the right treatment at the right time.
Michael Barns, Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner for the ED Bypass Unit for Sickle Cell patients said: “What this unit is going to do for patients in the local area is provide a single point of access for them in a time of crisis.
“We get to know the patients, they get to know us very well, and we’ll know what their personal challenges are and be able to tailor our care to suit that patient instead of treating them as a template.
“It means they’re being heard; they’re being listened to and that we’re there for them.”