A new facility delivering an integrated approach to Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) has been opened at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH).
The newly opened Maple Centre is located adjacent to the Emergency Department with the purpose of receiving referrals directly from the ambulance service, local GPs and 111. The Maple Centre has evolved as part of an ongoing commitment to improve services and patient experience, with the trust stating that it is “designed to deliver an integrated approach to Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)”.
The SDEC service will facilitate early support discharge for patients requiring medical or surgical care, and provide ongoing support for elderly and frail patients.
A wide range of assessment services will be available downstairs, along with a 26 bedded acute medical assessment ward. This will allow patients requiring additional treatment to receive the support they need before being safely discharged.
Existing services such as the Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit, Bridging Clinic and the Emergency Surgical Clinic have also been moved to the new Maple Centre along with the OPAT and VTE Clinics; they are responsible for delivering specialist care to patients with intravenous antibiotics and monitoring potential blood cots in other patients.
The Maple Centre has been made possible following, amongst other sources, a £5m donation from Milton Keynes City Council using contributions made by developers in the pursuit of investing in and expanding local facilities.
Milton Keynes City Council Leader Cllr Pete Marland: “As Milton Keynes grows, we’re able to use developer funding to collaborate on important facilities such as The Maple Centre and I’m delighted to see the Centre opening its doors after a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes. This is a great example of local services working in partnership to make a positive difference for residents. We’ll keep working together on ways we can expand and improve the care on offer.”
