Patient FIRST to reset emergency care

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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has brought together senior emergency department clinicians from departments rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ to develop a new tool for improving patient flow and quality of patient care in emergency and urgent care departments.

Patient FIRST is a support tool for clinicians, developed by clinicians, but it requires cultural change and complete buy-in within a hospital and across Trusts, including all departments that support the delivery of care and good urgent care models. It aims to understand and harness the learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way it has changed working processes and procedures within urgent care settings. Some of these changes have improved patient care and safety, but others haven’t These need to be adjusted and realigned.

FIRST stands for:

• Flow

• Infection control, including social distancing

• Reduced patients in emergency departments

• Staffing

• Treatment in the emergency department.

Patient FIRST includes practical solutions that all emergency department could consider. Implementing these solutions supports good, efficient and safe patient care. It also includes guidance for senior leaders at Trust and system level.

Download the guidance here.



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