New frailty assessment units have been opened at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to improve both quality of care and patient experience.

The units have opened at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, providing same-day care for older patients living with frailty.

Patients attending emergency departments or acute medical units are screened by dedicated frailty teams and transferred to the units for comprehensive assessment and care by a specialist clinical team.

An advice line allowing GPs and West Midlands Ambulance Service colleagues to gain advice and support directly from the Trust’s Frailty team will also be provisioned this August.

Dr John Jones, Medical Director, said “some patients can be discharged the same day, avoiding unnecessary hospital stays, and reducing the overall amount of time they spend hospital.”

“The feedback that we have had so far has been very positive and we are incredibly grateful to our teams who are working hard to ensure that our more vulnerable patients have the right care in the right place."