New Coventry hospital unit aims for faster patient treatment
Patients with severe intestinal failure will receive quicker treatment, following the opening of a new specialist unit at a hospital.The unit, at University Hospital, Coventry, is staffed by specialists who will assess and treat patients with help from the wider nutrition team. It is the first of its kind at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.It is hoped the unit would prevent patients with intestinal failure and complex gastrointestinal illness going to A&E, and avoid unnecessary admission to hospital.The unit was opened by 75 year-old patient Sylvia Wyer, who described it as a "brilliant advancement".
Mrs Wyer has been receiving treatment from the nutrition team at the hospital for about 20 years, after she suffered intestinal failure. She has treatment via a catheter to maintain her nutrition and hydration, and prevent malnutrition.Patients receiving this treatment can often become very ill and, previously, if they had a problem would have had to attend A&E and be admitted to a ward.
"If I have an issue, I can ring the team and they can bring me to the unit, so it's a better service for people with parenteral nutrition," Mrs Wyer said."It's a great advancement for the patients and they will benefit from it – it's brilliant."Dr Dana Ismail, lead for clinical nutrition and intestinal failure, said the unit's opening concluded years of work to continuously develop and improve the service."This unit will deliver excellent service for patients with swift assessment and management by expert staff, to bypass the front door and avoid unnecessary admissions," he said. "It's about treating the right patient in the right place at the right time."
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