Milton Keynes Hospital celebrates first birthday of its medical centre which has treated over 20,000 patients

Today (31 October) Milton Keynes Hospital is celebrating the first birthday of its newest medical centre.

The Maple Centre opened a year ago and the NHS says over 20,000 people have been treated there already.

It is used as a Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) centre and was opened to alleviate pressures for the hospital.

In total it has 16 assessment rooms providing an alternative to A&E for patients needing emergency care. SDEC was launched by the NHS to treat patients who need hospital care but don’t need to stay overnight.

For patients that do need overnight monitoring, there are 26 beds on the first floor of the facility.

Joe Harrison, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Hospital, said: “The opening of our Maple Centre has been a fantastic addition in how we deliver emergency treatment to our local communities. The centre was designed to be an integrated facility between acute services, primary care and the wider health and social care network. The Consultant Connect application has been pivotal in enabling this seamless collaboration between services, ensuring patients across Milton Keynes are seen and treated effectively in the appropriate setting for their healthcare needs.”

Telemedicine provider Consultant Connect has partnered with Milton Keynes NHS Trust on the project.

Jonathan Patrick, ceo of Consultant Connect, added: “It’s fantastic to see how Consultant Connect technology has been adopted by clinicians to support the Maple Centre’s Same Day Emergency Care pathway. Our tech helps patients to get the care they need without going to hospital if it’s possible. It also acts as a triaging service, meaning patients can bypass the queue at A&E and go straight to SDEC or another appropriate ward. I’m glad we can play our part in helping to ease pressures.”

Consultant Connect technology connects clinicians – such as GPs and paramedics – to specialists for expert advice. Clinicians can make a call or send a message to a specialist via an app to confirm the appropriate next steps for their patient.

Nearly 3,500 calls were placed to the trust using Consultant Connect technology in the last year with calls answered on average in 33 seconds.