Group multidisciplinary consultation clinic - University Hospital
Lewisham/King's College Hospital
Challenge
King's College Hospital decided to introduce a group
consultation clinic focused on specific stages of Parkinson's in
order to avoid possible delays in the patient pathway. This
delivers a model of care that fits in with the NICE Guidelines,
National Service Framework for Long Term Neurological Conditions
and also the 18-week pathway. Such a clinic was piloted in 2005 at
University Hospital, Lewisham.
Action
- A group consultation clinic is held on a monthly
basis.
- Each clinic session has 16 to 20 patients invited at a similar
stage in their condition - together with their partners.
- Clinics are dedicated to early stage, moderate stage, and
advanced Parkinson's.
The clinic is geared towards patient-centred care and provides
the following:
- quick referral and rapid access to consultant-led specialist
care and assessment
- expert review of diagnosis review by specialist care, including
physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language
therapy
- access to psychological and psychiatric support
- delivery and development of an expert patient programme
Achievements
- Choice for patients and their carers: they can attend their
usual 3–6 month follow-up consultation, attend a group consultation
clinic at their own convenience, or both.
Each clinic session satisfies the Parkinson's disease NICE
guidelines by including:
- Consultant/Specialist/Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist
(PDNS) review
- assessment and review by the multi-disciplinary team
- medication advice
- regular follow up
- development of expert patient groups
The Lewisham clinic has been cited by the Department of Health
as a 'Whole Systems Example' (Medicines Management, 2005).
Contact details
chaudhuriray@hotmail.com or
alison.forbes@uhl.nhs.uk
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