General Medicine and Frailty
Many of our patients are older people whose abilities and problems - along with their resources, wishes and values - vary greatly.We work with older people to help them navigate a complex healthcare system and live well to the end of their lives. The Integrated Care of Older People (ICOP) team cares for frail, older people ensuring a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to care.
Services include:
- Acute Frailty Management
- Complex Care
- Dementia and Delirium Diagnostics and Management
- Osteoporosis and Bone Health
- Movement Disorders
- Palliative Medicine
- Complex Discharge Pathways
Inpatient care is mainly on two wards:
- West Newton Ward, which has been specifically designed to meet the complex needs of patients with cognitive impairment and includes an outdoor space
- Windsor Ward, which cares for our frailest patients with acute physical or cognitive needs
Both Wards foster a culture of multidisciplinary working to ensure high quality and compassionate care for all. Outpatient services include Geriatric Assessment, Falls Prevention, Bone Health, Movement Disorders and Memory Clinics.
We are using online technology to reduce the number of times patients need to travel to the hospital and we also have an Acute Frailty Advice Line for GPs,Therapists, Paramedics and Community Matrons.
In addition we also provide Specialist Rehabilitation, Complex Discharge and End of Life Care at Swaffham Community Hospital and at the Norfolk Hospice Tapping House in Hillington, near King’s Lynn.
Our Stroke Service has a Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU), which is supported by further acute beds and rehabilitation beds. We have a seven-days-a-week service for patients suffering from Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs), often referred to as mini strokes, and we have nursing staff specialising in Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) on-site at all times.
For patients with heart disease and heart-related illnesses, we have a dedicated Coronary Care Unit and we run an “in-reach” service for heart and respiratory patients to support them as they prepare to leave our care and return home.
Shouldham Ward is a 12-bed ward for Oncology and Haematology patients and we have overnight accommodation for relatives of acutely ill patients in our on-site Raymond Dent log cabin. Our Chemotherapy Suite has space to treat 12 people and we deliver around 5,000 Chemotherapy sessions in a year.
There is also a dialysis unit here at QEH run by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
We run clinics and offer advice and education to help reduce the number of people becoming ill with Diabetes through our Endocrine and Diabetes Service. This Consultant-led service is supported by Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialists.
We have a Respiratory Ward (Necton) and our Rheumatology team includes four Clinical Nurse Specialists supporting Consultants.
Our specialist Neurology Clinics include memory and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). We also provide a Consultant Liaison Service to provide support to local community hospitals.