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Report from the front
Community frailty response service: the ED at your front door
  1. Rosa McNamara1,
  2. Kerri Donnelly2,
  3. Nichola Boyle3,4,
  4. David Menzies1,4,
  5. Rebecca Hollywood5,
  6. Elizabeth Little1,
  7. Eoin Tiernan6,
  8. Karen Donohoe7,
  9. Aidan Delaney2,
  10. Fionnuala Duffy2,
  11. Eoin Feeney4,8,
  12. Shane O'Hanlon3,4
  1. 1Emergency Department, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  2. 2Occupational Therapy, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  3. 3Medicine for Older People, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  4. 4School of Medicine, University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
  5. 5HSE National Ambulance Service, Dublin, Ireland
  6. 6Palliative Medicine, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  7. 7Department of Medicine, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  8. 8Infectious Diseases, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
  1. Correspondence to Dr Rosa McNamara, Emergency Department, Saint Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin D04 N2E0, Ireland; rosamcnamara{at}gmail.com

Abstract

We describe the expansion and adaptation of a frailty response team to assess older people in their usual place of residence. The team had commenced a weekend service to a limited area in February 2020. As a consequence of demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded it and adapted the model of care to provide a 7-day service to our entire catchment area. Five hundred and ninety two patient reviews have been completed in the first 105 days of operation with 43 patients transferred to hospital for further investigation or management following assessment.

  • frailty
  • geriatrics
  • therapists
  • prehospital care

This article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ’s website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained.

https://bmj.com/coronavirus/usage

https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2020-210005

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Katie Walker

    • Twitter @david_menzies, @Rebecca999, @Leezalit, @drohanlon

    • Collaborators Fergus MurrayGareth Fitzpatrick.

    • Contributors RM, DM, FD and SOH service conception and development, RM and SOH wrote draft, KeD, KaD AD, NB and EL data gathering. EF, ET, RH and DM contributed to manuscript.

    • Funding This study was supported by Slaintecare Integration Fund (project ID 388).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.