A team of nurses who support earlier discharge from hospital for those having heart issues have celebrated after helping their 500th patient.
The world-renowned Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC), part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, has introduced a system where a team of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Clinical Nurse Specialists discharge patients who are clinically well, rather than junior doctors.
The team have so far assisted 233 patients with different types of heart attacks, and 89 patients who have stayed at the hospital overnight after their procedures. As well as this, they have now reached a milestone of discharging their 500th patient who has had a heart procedure, such as heart stent installation, on the same day.
“The introduction of the PCI Clinical Nurse Specialist role within the CTC has revolutionised the way we work as a centre.
“It allows us to improve patient flow and provides patients with a named nurse specialist they can contact post-discharge should they have any queries. Both patients and staff have given very positive feedback about our service.”
Craig Robertson, Lead PCI Nurse Specialist for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
With dedicated PCI Nurse Specialists, patients now get faster and more personalised care, resulting in reduced hospital stays and it frees up hospital beds for incoming patients, enabling junior doctors to focus on patients with more critical conditions. This also ensures more effective follow-ups after patients’ discharge, improving their experience.
“My procedure and release today went very well. Everyone involved was very kind and helpful. The CTC is one of the best in the country and being the 500th patient shows the wonderful job the team are doing.”
The 500th patient, Michael Livermore, from Southend-on-Sea
The PCI Clinical Nurse Specialist team is led by Craig Robertson, and supported by Sean King, Debbie Sevant, Almira Capiendo, and Lisa Gibbs.