What types of patients will be seen in the Outpatient Assessment Clinic (OAC)?

Patients will be invited to attend the facility by appointment only. Initially, the space will be mainly used for triage / diagnostics of patients waiting for their first Secondary Care appointment, to enable decisions to be made around their next steps in their pathway of care. The first specialties planned to use the space are: Ophthalmology, Breast Screening, Dermatology and Orthopaedics, but in the longer term we are planning bring a number of other specialties and services on board, including community services and social care. 

How long will the Outpatient Assessment Clinic at Beales run?

Currently, University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) have agreed a 3-year occupancy period for this space. As well as significantly reducing our waiting lists, the intention is to use this space as a testbed for innovation and opportunity to take learnings to inform our wider ambition of Community Diagnostic Centres and bringing healthcare closer to our community.

What about patients who have accessibility requirements or feel uncomfortable attending a clinic in the shopping centre for an Outpatient appointment? 

The clinical teams will focus on doing the right thing for the individual when identifying patients to attend an appointment at the Outpatient Assessment Clinic (OAC). Patients who require transport or who have accessibility requirements that need a lot of support are likely to be offered an alternative appointment at the main hospital site. A focus will be on ensuring there is effective support in place from the volunteers for all patients attending their appointment at the OAC, and lots of information available beforehand so patients feel prepared.

What role will volunteers play in supporting the facility? 

Volunteers will play a crucial role in supporting patients who attend the facility. Some of the key activities volunteers will perform are: greeting patients and helping with navigation, managing patient flow, helping patients check in when they arrive, maintaining Infection Prevention Control measures and social distancing, and helping patients with accessibility support requirements. 

Will patients be able to drop-in for treatment or if there is an emergency? 

No this is a clinic for planned outpatient care and isn’t equipped to deal with emergencies.

Are the services planned for this Outpatient Assessment Clinic complimentary to the ones provided upstairs in Boots NHS Health centre (Dolphin Centre) run by Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust or is there any duplication?

In Dorset we are committed to working as an Integrated Care System (ICS), collectively working with health and care partners to utilise our resources to support the best possible health and care outcomes for our residents. Through the delivery of our Outpatient Assessment Clinic at Beales, we have worked with Dorset Healthcare as our partners at all stages of the journey, and have had the opportunity to take learnings from the way in which services have been successfully delivered in Boots for a number of years. It is intended that the new offer in Beales will not duplicate, but instead compliment, the services which are already provided by the Dorset healthcare team in Boots. Initially, the main offer for patients in Beales will be for those on acute waiting lists, requiring their first contact with Secondary Care for specialist diagnostics / triage to determine the appropriate course of action for the individual and their health condition. This in contrast to Boots, where Community and Mental health services are delivered, many of which are routine or follow-up services. Once up and running, we will be working with Dorset healthcare to further refine the offer, and where possible provide them with additional space to deliver their clinics to help relieve estates and workforce pressures. We anticipate this will be particularly beneficial to co-locate services that can support patients with both their specific health condition and wider aspects of their wellbeing. In longer term, our plan is to work closely with Dorset healthcare and wider NHS and VCSE partners to provide an even more integrated offer of health and wellbeing services for our community across Dorset.