TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome to the first edition of the National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS) e-newsletter
Ongoing work in the National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS)
Minimum standard document for acute surgical assessment units in Ireland launched
What is a See and Treat Clinic, and what can it achieve in your hospital?
Did you know...
What is a See and Treat Clinic, and what can it achieve in your hospital?

A see and treat clinic is defined as ‘seeing the patient and treating the patient’s minor surgical complaint in a single visit’. Appropriate patients can be directly referred by their GP for a single “one stop” hospital visit that includes surgical treatment, such as a minor operation. Patients are referred back to their GP for any necessary follow up.

 

What can a see and treat clinic achieve in your hospital?

  • Shorter waiting times for surgery. (One pilot site reduced wait time from 13 months to 12 weeks.)
  • Fewer OPD appointments for each patient (From 3 hospital appointments down to a single visit.)
  • Better access for GPs to a minor surgery service with prompt return of patients and results.
  • At a hospital level, a see and treat clinic can free up outpatient department capacity to see more new patients.

 

How does it work?

Currently, patients referred by GPs for minor surgery attend outpatients departments and are placed on a waiting list for treatment but not every patient needs this two-step process. 'See and treat' pathways allow some patients to be streamed directly to minor ops, and some continue to attend outpatient departments, based on triage of the referral letter received from their GP.

 

Want to find out more?  

The concept is already well-established in AMNCH and St Joseph’s Hospital, Raheny and most recently, Portiuncula Hospital have commenced a See and Treat Clinic serving patients of the Saolta Group. A QI toolkit and SOP to help develop a clinic can be found at NCPS Metrics, Publications and Policies.

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