North Staffs launches 24 hour liaison team

Managers say the Rapid Assessment Interface and Discharge service (RAID) will help patients get fast, appropriate care and reduce the need for hospital admissions.

Trust chief executive Fiona Myers said the trust had already seen the benefit of liaison services, which help co-ordinate care and allow more patients to be treated at home.

“We have seen the positive outcomes of quality of care for patients that have been provided in Birmingham, in conjunction with Staffordshire University, with enhanced liaison teams providing integrated care with their acute sector colleagues,” she said.

“This has allowed more patients to be cared for at home, as well as reducing the demand on A&E services, through admission avoidance schemes.”

The development of liaison services for patients of all ages will be led by the trust’s medical director Dr Mike Jorsh, who is set to step down to concentrate on the role.

He said he would be working closely with clinical colleagues across primary, secondary and community care as well as Staffordshire and Keele universities.

The trust hopes to have a new medical director in post by the autumn.