My Health, My Care, My Home - healthcare framework for adults living in care homes: easy read

Urgent and emergency care

People living in care homes can become unexpectedly unwell, needing urgent care and attention.

Many urgent care services will only see people who can go to the GP practice.

Getting urgent treatment and care can sometimes be complicated and difficult.

It is important that people can get the care that is right for them at the right time.

Medical information should be shared with care homes after someone has been in hospital.

Care home staff need a better understanding of how to get help from resources like NHS 24 and NHS Inform.

Recommendations - what we want to see happen

• people living in care homes should have support at any time when urgent or emergency care is needed
• community healthcare teams should have staff who can visit people in care homes when they need urgent assessment

Support and advice should be easy to get from the GP practice by phone.

• care home staff and healthcare staff should know how to use the SBAR format when talking about urgent or emergency care

The SBAR format is a way for people in a healthcare team to communicate about a person's healthcare.

All staff should use the same form for these conversations.

• care home staff should be able to contact healthcare staff quickly in an emergency
• we need ways to make it easier to get medicines in an urgent situation
• people living in care homes should never be stopped from going to hospital because they live in a care home
• we should look at ways to do tests and investigations in the care home rather than in a clinic or hospital
• health boards should develop services that give people hospital-level care in the care home
• quick and safe travel to and from hospital for people in care homes should be provided
• all parts of the healthcare system should be able to get someone's health records online