EDITH service expanded in St. Vincent’s University Hospital

St Vincent’s University Hospital’s (SVUH) Emergency Department in TheHome (EDITH) has announced the arrival of a second vehicle, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to expanding and enhancing its services. EDITH, which has been operational since February 2020, is a collaborative initiative between St. Vincent’s University Hospital, the National Ambulance Service, St. Columcille’s and St. Michael’s Hospitals. It has been at the forefront of revolutionising emergency medical care for the older adult at SVUH.

Funding was provided for the initiative from conception to delivery of the second vehicle this week by the HSE Operational Performance and Integration division and was welcomed by both the National Ambulance Service and St Vincent’s University Hospital.

EDITH was set-up in response to the challenges of COVID-19 and has benefited over 7,500 patients to date. It provides an alternative, patient-centred pathway to the Emergency Department (ED) for adults aged 65 and over and offers significant benefits to both patients and the health service including reductions in ED presentations, in-patient bed day usage and adverse events, while also reducing unnecessary diagnostics. EDITH fully supports the Sláintecare vision with the ‘right care, right place, right time, by the right person.

With over 60 nursing homes in the SVUH catchment area, the introduction of a second vehicle will be instrumental in expanding the reach of EDITH, providing more support to patients, especially those who primarily reside within these nursing homes. This in turn keeps patients safer in their familiar surrounds and reduces further complications associated with admission to hospitals for these vulnerable persons such as delirium; deconditioning and loss of independence.

Joe Ryan, National Director of the HSE Operational Performance and Integration division, said, “The EDITH Initiative embodies the core SláinteCare principle of delivering patient centred integrated care as close to a patient’s home as possible. Operational Performance and Integration is constantly working with services to improve patient and service user experience and deliver improved quality and efficiency. The existing EDITH team with one vehicle has demonstrated clear benefits to patients and the capacity to avoid unnecessary attendance at Emergency Departments. This addition of a second vehicle will enable the team to build on this success”.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with EDITH at St. Vincent’s University Hospital and provide a second vehicle to enhance their emergency services,” said Johnny Dicker, Head of Service – Fleet and Logistics, HSE National Ambulance Service. “This partnership exemplifies our commitment to delivering exceptional care to older persons in our community. We look forward to working closely with EDITH and SVUH to provide a seamless and comprehensive healthcare experience to our patients.”