Standard | Description |
Time to first consultant review | All emergency admissions must be seen and have a thorough clinical assessment by a suitable consultant as soon as possible but at the latest within 14 hours from the time of arrival at hospital |
Access to diagnostics | Hospital inpatients must have scheduled 7 day access to diagnostic services such as x-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, echocardiography, endoscopy, bronchoscopy and pathology. Consultant directed diagnostic tests and completed reporting will be available 7 days a week:
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Access to consultant directed interventions | Hospital inpatients must have timely 24 hour access, 7 days a week, to consultant directed interventions that meet the relevant specialty guidelines, either on site or through formally agreed networked arrangements, with clear protocols, such as:
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Ongoing review | (A) All patients on the AMU, ASU and ITU, and other high dependency areas, are seen and reviewed by a consultant TWICE DAILY (including all acutely ill patients directly transferred and others who deteriorate) (B) Once transferred from the acute area of the hospital to a general ward, patients should be reviewed during a consultant delivered ward round at least ONCE EVERY 24 hours, 7 days a week, unless it has been determined that this would not affect the patient’s care pathway. |
AMU, acute medical unit ; ASU, acute surgical assessment unit; ITU, intensive therapy unit.
Descriptions quoted from NHS England.25