Geriatric medicine

The department of geriatric medicine at Hereford County Hospital includes the following services: 

• Community hospitals: The department supports the management of older in-patients in Ross, Leominster and Bromyard Community Hospitals, with consultant advice and input to ward patient reviews as needed.
  
  
• Falls service: Patients undergo multidisciplinary assessment based on NICE guidelines to identify and treat risk factors for falls. They are then provided with a personalised management plan.
  
  
• Acute Frailty Unit: The department provides a large contribution to the acute medical on call. An ‘Acute Frailty Unit’ was opened in November 2014.  This is designed to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary input to older frail patients admitted acutely to hospital, thus improving outcomes by applying evidence-based practice in this important group of patients.
  
  
• Orthogeriatrics: Our aim is that all frail elderly patients admitted under the orthopaedic surgeons are assessed pre and post operatively to optimise medical conditions. This includes comprehensive medical assessment, falls assessment, rehabilitation and osteoporosis treatment by the multidisciplinary team.
  
  
• Movement disorder: A weekly, consultant led outpatient clinic (Dr Wales) with specialist nurse input and neurophysiotherapy support.  Occasional peripheral clinics are also held at Ross, and Leominster.
  
  
• Stroke: The trust’s stroke service is provided by a specialist team of nurses, therapists and rehabilitation assistants on the Stroke Unit on Wye Ward with an early supported discharge and community stroke rehabilitation team. Dr Jenkins provides consultant leadership and runs the rapid access transient ischaemic attack/minor stroke clinics.
  
  
• Syncope: Dr Byatt holds a syncope clinic for patients who have had one or more episodes of unexplained loss of consciousness. Non-invasive investigations (including tilt testing and carotid sinus massage after clinical assessment).

Additional information

The department currently consists of three consultants in geriatric medicine:

• Dr Kit Byatt
• Dr Colin Jenkins
• Dr Emma Wales

The bed provision for geriatric medicine is as follows:

• 26 Stroke and general - Wye ward
• 14 Acute Frailty Unit - Frome ward