Western General Hospital Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC)
Services:
The ARC provides day hospital attendance for comprehensive assessment of frail older people. This is an outpatient service, which may involve one or several attendances, scheduled weekly. It is run between 9 – 4pm Monday to Friday. Patients attend for the whole morning, to early or mid afternoon (sandwich lunch provided) and return visits are scheduled as necessary.
Limited ambulance transport is available to and from appointments for those who need it.
| Assessment/treatment for complex medical problems | Available Resources: |
| Specialist medical and nursing procedures e.g. blood transfusion, zolendronate infusion, leg ulcer treatment | Medical team |
| Crisis intervention to prevent hospital admission | Nursing team |
| Management of complex long term conditions e.g. heart failure, COPD, leg ulcers, Parkinson’s disease | Physiotherapy |
| Falls assessment and prevention programme | Occupational therapy |
| Rehabilitation | Speech and language therapy |
| Supported discharge of hospital inpatients | Diagnostics e.g. Blood tests, Radiology: plain x-ray, ultrasound, CT , ECG, echocardiogram, 24 hour ambulatory ECG, pulmonary function testing, ABPI Doppler’s, bladder scanning, 24 hour BP monitoring |
Consultants Dr Jo Cowell, Dr Conor Maguire, Dr John Mair
Speciality Doctor Dr Inas Saad
Who to refer:
- Patients with acute reduction in mobility or function
- Frequent (≥2 in 6 months) or unexplained falls
- Those for whom urgent Day Hospital attendance might avoid hospital admission
- Patients requiring medical AND nursing or AHP input
- Those with Parkinson’s, stroke, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and or mobility or multiple medical problems
Who not to refer:
Unstable clinical condition e.g.
- Acute stroke/TIA
Suspected DVT or PE
- GI haemorrhage
Chest pain/acute cardiac problems
Patients who are unable to participate in treatment or rehabilitation
Patients whose needs can be addressed by community services e.g. only requiring physiotherapy
Patients aged under 65 years (unless discussed with consultant first)
How to refer:
Routine referrals
- SCI Gateway
Urgent referrals
- SCI Gateway
For advice or discussion about urgent referrals, please contact the Consultant on call for MoE at WGH:
- Geriatric Medicine Advice Hotline: 0131 465 9107 (08.30 – 16.30 M – F)
- Consultant on call for WGH MoE: 07815 493034
- Email: geriatricmed.north@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
