Initiative to help high intensity users of health services wins prestigious award

An innovative initiative which has successfully reduced the number of visits to accident and emergency departments, planned admissions to hospitals and calls to 111 by people who are disproportionally high users of health services has been recognised by a prestigious award from NHS England.

The BSW High Intensity User Service offers a robust way of supporting people who make high intensity use of health services, in particular A&E, hospitals, 111, mental health and other health services.

The scheme, which is delivered through Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living and Medvivo, won a NHS South West Integrated Personalised Care Award from the NHS South West Integrated Personalised Care team. The awards recognise and thank people who work in heath and care in the South West and focus on the ‘What Matters to You’ approach.

The BSW service contacts the individual to uncover the real reason for accessing emergency services. This often reveals a range of complaints including social issues, mental health, loneliness, addiction, complex medical presentations, or a combination of any of these factors.

In BSW the High Intensity User Service has been responsible for a 67 per cent reduction in A&E attendance for this group of patients resulting in £248,000 of savings and a 62 per cent drop in non-elective admissions for the same group resulting in £1,052,721 of savings.

The service in BSW involves a number of agencies, including the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, Medvivo and Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living who work together to help the individuals concerned.

You can read more about the scheme here: Teams working with high intensity users of health services in BSW report positive results