A new unit for assessing and monitoring very unwell patients at Nelson Hospital.

This project will establish a permanent Medical Admissions Planning Unit (MAPU) at Nelson Hospital.

A MAPU is a dedicated unit within a hospital where a specialised group of health professionals assess and observe patients with serious health conditions.

Patients who come to hospital with complex health issues often require more tests and specialist input, which may prolong their time in the emergency department and add to an already stressful situation. Admitting a patient directly to the MAPU provides them immediate access to the unit's interdisciplinary team and the care they need.

The MAPU was successfully trialled in 2018 and opened at Nelson Hospital on 1 July 2019.

Why is it important?

•  Having a dedicated unit for assessing and monitoring patients with acute health needs will reduce the demand on the emergency department

•  Direct access to MAPU will mean a patient receives care faster, resulting in prompter admission to hospital, reduced waiting time, and shorter hospital stays

•  Bringing the necessary health professionals together into one place reduces the wait time to see a specialist

•  Less delay in assessments will result in faster diagnosis and treatment.

Project details

First stage:

1.  A MAPU trial was run at Nelson Hospital in July 2018. The 10-week trial resulted in reduced waiting time in the emergency department and reduced the overall length of stay for patients who were admitted to MAPU.

2.  A permanent MAPU was opened at Nelson Hospital on 1 July 2019.

Where:

Nelson Hospital

How does it contribute to Models of Care programme outcomes?

This project aims to contribute to Models of Care outcomes in the following ways:

By making a significant contribution to these principles:

MAPU significant contribution

My making a moderate contribution to these principles: 

MAPU medium contribution

By making a small contribution to these principles:

MAPU smallcontributionRead more information about the Models of Care principles

Future development

The MAPU model will be incorporated in the models of care component of the Nelson Hospital Redevelopment Project.

To find out more email [email protected]