Critical Care Outreach

Critical care outreach at East Cheshire NHS Trust is a critical care service provided by a team of specialists to rapidly identify the acutely ill adult.
 
The overall aim of our service is to recognise your deteriorating health, deliver prompt treatment and establish a plan for your doctors to provide further management.

The objectives of the service are to:

• Improve the quality of acute patient care, patient experience and reduce the risk of clinical error thereby contributing to a safe clinical environment throughout your stay. 
• Enhance clinical staff confidence, competence and experience through training and the sharing of skills. 
• Make sure that Macclesfield District General is your hospital of choice by ensuring that all disciplines and professions deliver best practice to the acutely ill patient regardless of their location in the hospital. 

Our roles

The Outreach team have three principal roles:

(1) The recognition and management of the acutely unwell adult on the general wards

• Outreach supports general ward staff in caring for the critically unwell patients by sharing of skills and knowledge. Outreach will also facilitate admission to the critical care unit if necessary.

• The service utilises a ‘track and trigger tool’ to identify patients whose condition is deteriorating. This is a simple scoring system which utilise routinely recorded information such as blood pressure and heart rate. Where appropriate if the score reaches the ‘trigger point’ it will prompt your team to escalate your care and involve the Critical Care Outreach Team.

(2) Clinical involvement of the Critical Care Outreach Team on the general wards in the care of patients after a period of critical illness

• We will support the reduction in the number of re-admissions to critical care that could be related to omissions in care after Intensive Care Unit discharge.
• We will support improvement in the acutely ill patient experience and outcome by enhanced communication between clinical areas.
• We will potentially reduce the length of stay in critical care areas and on the general wards.

(3) Outpatient support to the patient following discharge from hospital 

• It is increasingly apparent that some patients following a period of critical illness may experience functional, cognitive and psychological problems even after discharge home.  
• A standard of care has been set that reflects the potential needs of the patient by means of a clinic that assesses the psychological and physical progress following your period of illness.
• Every patient who has received treatment in the critical care unit will be assessed, and if appropriate or requested, will be given the opportunity to attend the Macclesfield After Care Service (MACS). This is an out-patient based service which follows up patients who have been treated in the critical care unit. Patients are normally assessed at three, six and 12 months post discharge from hospital although times will vary dependent on clinical need.
• The clinic is led by the consultant nurse and a nursing sister from the Critical Care Unit, medical input can be requested.

How to contact us

Critical care outreach service

After care service