Better Together – A Day Hospital’s move towards Integrated care.

Abstract

Abstract - Background/Aims: This article will present how an interdisciplinary team working within a day hospital in an acute NHS Foundation Trust embraced the opportunities of practice development to work ‘better together’ to meet the complex needs of individuals using the service. Methods: By working closely with key stakeholders, the team developed an integrated service intersecting both primary and secondary care boundaries. Results: The principles of practice development, including shared vision and focus, ensured changes made to the service were patient centred. These changes included a 360-degree assessment by professional staff with extended skills beyond their own professional role, and a virtual ward round, where individual patients are reviewed by an interdisciplinary team in the community with a focus on avoiding hospital admission, with quicker access to the day hospital. The team worked closely with their local university towards achieving practice development unit status, demonstrating a rigorous approach to the development of services provided by the day hospital. Conclusions: The article highlights both the value of practice development and significantly the value of an interdisciplinary team working within a day hospital setting.