Since August 2015 the social work service at Ysbyty Gwynedd has been located within a purposely built office with the focus on integration between Social Services, BCU and the Third Sector.
All Social Services departments in North West, Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey are based here in addition to Discharge Liaison Nurses, Bed Managers, Third Sector representatives and the administration team.
The overall objective was to improve communication amongst the agencies to facilitate safe and timely discharges from Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Board meetings are held daily to identify patients who are ready for discharge planning and to highlight any potential issues that may delay discharges.
Delayed Transfer of Care meetings have been established which are held every Friday afternoon to identify patients ready for discharge but for whom non-medical issues cause delays. This forum considers other ways of meeting the patients’ needs if what was identified is not available.
There is clear evidence that co-location enhances multi-disciplinary working to facilitate safe and timely discharges.