Please note:
The following data set is required for patients being referred through the Flow Navigation Centre:
The Flow Navigation Centre (FNC) is a centralised service developed to support the flow of patients across adult acute sites. Working across primary and secondary care, IJBs and the third sector, the FNC works to create clear pathways for admission and alternatives to admission, to ensure that the patient is seen at the right time, in the right place by the right person. The FNC has a real-time pan Lothian view of front door demand across acute sites and capacity in community-based services. The FNC also manages and co-ordinates all urgent GP admission transport as well as transfer and discharge transport from 34 NHS sites across Lothian, including out of area transport.
For urgent medical or surgical assessment/admission contact the FNC on 03000 13 4000 Option 1 & 4. Referrals can only be made by GPs or another Healthcare Professional.
Please provide a full set of observations if possible as this helps in navigating patients correctly and determines any deterioration in the patient between referral and arrival.
Observations also enable rapid clinical triage to expedite transport as required.
Referral details will be taken and the best pathway for the patient will be identified. If the patient requires transport, this will be arranged by the FNC. Once the referral details are taken, the FNC will book the patient electronically into TRAK, so the relevant service knows what patient is expected and when. Services will either be on an acute site or in a community setting.
For some specialties, all acute referrals must be discussed with their team first. These specialities include (but are not limited to) ENT, Plastics and Hand Surgery, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Breast, Oncology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Infectious Diseases, Urology, Rheumatology and Vascular Surgery. Referring clinicians can contact the on-call teams for these specialties directly via switchboard. If referrals for these specialties come through the FNC, staff will forward to the correct physician which will usually require contacting switchboard first.
