New unit opens offering patients speedy care – while avoiding hospital admission

The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) Unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has been officially opened.

SDEC, under the wing of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT), allows medics to assess, diagnose, treat and safely discharge applicable patients the same day they arrive.

It can be used to treat conditions including deep vein thrombosis and pneumonia.

Patients can be referred to SDEC treatment through emergency departments, internally via a switchboard or the consultant connect system for GPs.

The unit is also working towards taking direct transfers from ambulances and referrals from NHS111.

Chief nurse Louise Crosby cut the ribbon to celebrate the occasion at the hospital in Stadium Road, Greenwich.

Vanessa Purday, chief medical officer at LGT, said: “We want to make sure that no one stays in the hospital overnight if they can safely return home, and so we’re delighted to say that SDEC means that emergency patients will be assessed, diagnosed, and treated for their acute illnesses within a single day.”