Many Inclusion Health (IH) patients struggle to attend A&E due to the long delays waiting to be seen, which can often trigger withdrawal symptoms and other issues. To combat this, the IH team at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) have set up the 987 initiative, so-called because email referrals should have ‘987’ in the subject line to make it easier to find them. 

987 is a route for patients to attend University College Hospital (UCH) and have an A&E level of access to tests/treatments, but without the prolonged waits and other problems associated with attending A&E spontaneously.

If you have an IH patient that you feel needs urgent (though not emergency) assessment, you can contact Dr James Norman and team directly, who can arrange attendance to UCH’s ambulatory emergency care (AEC) departments for investigations and a Holistic Inclusion Health Patient Assessment (HIPA). 

Please note: This is a planned attendance and must be arranged by the UCH team and a time agreed with the referrer. To access 987, contact Dr Norman directly on the numbers below while also completing the referral form (attached). Dr Norman and team will then book the patient into AEC and confirm the time and date with you (the referrer) for the patient to attend. 

On the day, the patient attends A&E at UCH but is directed to AEC rather than the main reception area. In AEC they’re quickly seen by the AEC nurses (usually within 15 minutes) who perform the requested blood tests and other simple assessments, before contacting Dr Norman who then sees the patient and performs a more thorough evaluation, with a particular focus on the acute issue. From there, Dr Norman can arrange same day tests, if possible, or even admission if necessary.  

To learn more about this initiative, contact Dr Norman, IH consultant at UCLH directly (see Service Feedback).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

IH patients, meaning over 18s who:

•  are homeless
•  use, or have used, class A drugs
•  are on methadone/buprenorphine
•  struggle with persistent alcohol misuse
•  are undocumented migrants
•  have other issues that mean they may have been excluded from good quality healthcare in the past.

How to Refer

Locations

UCLH