News and updates on today's conference, focusing on the challenges faced by High Intensity Users of A&E as well as the healthcare professionals who support them.
The power of kindness: a Specialist in Emergency Medicine Perspective of HIU
Speaker: Cathy Wield
Specialist in Emergency Medicine
Cathy Wield was born and raised overseas, before returning to the UK for her education. She has spent most of her career as a doctor, specialising in Emergency Medicine.
Cathy said "I was working as a very busy Doctor, working more than 100 hours a week, and I had very young children, this is when my depression struck"
She continued by saying " It's all about interpretation, I was medicalised, I was given drugs rather than listened to".
Cathy concluded by saying "When you look at someone, you make assumptions, you need to avoid sterotyping, judging, assuming etc, and you need to be kind, empathise and listen, build relationships and trust, and find out the root causes of the patients problems"
EXTENDED SESSION: Exploring High Intensity Use of Accident and Emergency Services
Speaker: Dr Emma Schofield
Clinical Lead for HIU Service, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Graduated from Charing Cross medical School 1996 MBBS (BSc)
2013 set up Frequent Attender programme at West Middlesex University Hospital (after securing Grant Funding) and involved in 2013 /14 CQUIN
Speaker: Dr Sachin Patel
Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Dr Sachin Patel graduated from The University of Birmingham in 2004. He has worked as a psychiatrist since 2007 gaining much of his postgraduate training at the Institute of Psychiatry and in various teaching hospitals across London.
Emma and Sachin said "Often the reason for high intensity A & E visits is access to human contact"
"It's also about seeing a Mental Health Nurse as quickly as possible, as people are struggling with GP appointments"
They also said "Some people are so isolated, that having social interaction in A & E may be the most interaction they get all week"
EXTENDED SESSION: Exploring High Intensity Use of Accident and Emergency Services
Speaker: Melanie Lamb
Clinical Lead for High Intensity User Service, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Mel is a registered Mental Health Nurse with BSC Hons currently working with Black Country NHS Foundation trust in Wolverhampton. Mel has extensive clinical experience working within the field of mental health nursing beginning in 2004.
Speaker: Dr Emma Jenkinson
Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Paediatric Emergency Medicine; Clinical Lead for ‘Complex Care & High Intensity User’ MDT, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Emma developed an interest in this patient group early in her consultant career and found that working in both the paediatric and adult EDs gave her a good overview of some of the challenges facing the population of Wolverhampton.
Melanie and Emma said "We are all dealt a different hand in life, some a good one with support and a stable home etc, but some are not, they will have suffered abuse and homelessness with no support, and when this is the case crisis can esculate and spiral, and these are the people we see frequently in Accident & Emergency".
