A new service which has already saved 45,000 hospital bed days
this year is being further rolled out over the coming months.
The Out-patient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) service allows
people to be treated at home or in out-patient settings -
reducing the need for hospital admission or long stays.
Patients are able to receive intravenous
antimicrobial therapy or other complex antibiotic treatment
in an out-patient clinic at a time convenient to them, and in
some areas even at home rather than as an inpatient.
The service, part of the right care in the right place
initiative, is just one of many innovative programmes
which health boards are using to help reduce pressures on the
rest of the system.
Figures published by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group
show that between 17 January 2022 and 21 August 2022 on average
250 people per week have been treated by the OPAT service and
more than 45,000 hospital admission bed days have been avoided in
that period. OPAT services are supported by £50 million of
Scottish Government funding through the Urgent and Unscheduled
Care Collaborative
Mr Yousaf said:
“I am pleased to see the roll-out of the Out-patient
Antimicrobial Therapy service. We know that our accident and
emergency departments continue to be under significant pressure,
and that is why we are working at pace to deliver this scheme,
and others like it, to provide more care in the community while
reducing pressure on hospitals.
“We know there is a real benefit to treating people at home where
possible. We are determined to build on this success and want to
see this approach adopted across as many health boards as
possible.”
Dr Andrew Seaton, Chair of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing
Group and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, said:
“Hospitals are under significant pressure as we try to recover
from the effects of the COVID pandemic and there is a real need
for initiatives to support recovery and promote different ways of
caring for our patients traditionally managed in hospitals.
“OPAT is an excellent example of how nurses, pharmacists and
doctors can work together to provide high quality patient centred
care without the need for a hospital bed. The focus now on
further developing virtual capacity and new ways of working with
support across Scotland for initiatives like ours is very
welcome”.
Nine health boards currently use OPAT services and the programme
will be rolled out further over the coming months.
Background
OPAT services in
Scotland
