A new Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV) pathway has launched at University Hospital of Wales (UHW) to help patients in respiratory failure.
Staff on Ward B7, Respiratory at UHW have developed the new pathway which will ensure that patients in respiratory failure receive timely and effective care in the right place by the right team.
The new pathway includes a dedicated 4 bedded area on B7 for patients to receive care and treatment from the respiratory team on the ward. This will reduce the need to transfer patients to critical care for treatment and can result in quicker recovery times for patients.
The team has worked closely with colleagues in the Emergency Unit and the Home Ventilation Team to ensure the treatment for patients is appropriate for their needs and reduces the need to move patients to a different unit when they feel unwell.
Simon Barry, Respiratory Consultant from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said “As a health board we are committed to ensuring that patients receive treatment in the right place by the right team when they are admitted to hospital. This new unit will mean that when patients become acutely unwell, where they would have previously been transferred to critical care they can now remain on the Respiratory Ward to receive care from the specialist team and equipment.
“We know that patients recover more quickly if they are not moved around unnecessarily. This approach will also free up critical care capacity so that the unit can receive acutely unwell patients.”
The Respiratory team have worked collaboratively to identify a need the 4 bedded unit and are currently working on a new pathway booklet which will again improve the care and treatment respiratory patients receive in hospital.
