-
Topics
- All Topics
- Self Care
- Blood, Skin & Nutrition
- Cancer & Screening
- Cardiovascular & Respiratory
-
Children & Family
- Child Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health
- Children, Young People & Family
- Domestic Violence & Abuse
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Gender Identity
- Homelessness
- Learning Disabilities & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Migrant Health
- Safeguarding Adults
- Safeguarding Children
- Sexual Health
- Social Prescribing
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Weight Management & Nutrition
- Diabetes & Endocrine
- Diagnostics & Investigations
- Frailty & Complex Care
- Gastroenterology, Colorectal, Renal & Urology
- Head, Neck & Eyes
- Infectious Diseases
- Mental Health
- MSK
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Social Care & Safeguarding
- Urgent & Emergency
- Pathways
-
Medicines
- Community Pharmacy
- Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer
- Electronic Prescription Service
- Infections and Antibiotics
- Medicines Compliance
- Medicines Management Teams: NCL
- Medicines Optimisation Prescribing Policies
- Medicines Supply Issues
- Opioids and Dependence-forming Medications
- Patient Group Directions
- Prescribing Guidelines
- Prescribing Quality Scheme (PQS)
- Prescribing Recommendations (NPR)
- Prescribing Watch
- Self-Care Medicines Scheme (SCMS)
- Shared Care
- Fact Sheets
-
Practice Management
- Cancer Care Resources
- Deadlines
- Enhanced Services
- General Practice Access Support
- General Practice Staff Survey
- Greener NCL: Sustainable General Practice
- Hospital Bypass Contacts
- Immunisations & Vaccinations
- Interface Consensus
- Practice Vacancies
- Referral Support
- Research Opportunities
- Submit a Patient Safety Incident Report
- Submit a Quality Alert
- Support for Staff
- Veterans’ Healthcare
- Education
- Digital
Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT/COpAT): WH
IslingtonHaringeyProvided By
Referring clinicians should look for the closest available OPAT team.
OPAT/COpAT
The Whittington Health (WH) outpatient antimicrobial therapy (COpAT/OPAT) multi-disciplinary team (MDT) looks after and manages patients with complex/chronic infections that are well enough to leave hospital, but still need intravenous/or complex anti-infectives, or anti-infectives that require regular monitoring.
The MDT reviews the type of anti-infectives patients need and how they receive these treatments (using the modalities listed below). Patients are discussed in a weekly meeting where their blood tests, response to treatment and any scans/tests that they require are reviewed.
Team
The WH OPAT/COpAT service is a consult service which works together with parent/referring teams to treat patients using an MDT approach. The team consists of:
- one infectious diseases and microbiology consultant
- one infection pharmacist and trainee advanced clinical practitioner
- one ambulatory care nurse.
Modalities of delivery
The modalities of delivery for the WH OPAT service are:
- ambulatory care
- virtual ward
- district nurses
- self-administration.
Nurse-filled elastomerics
WH can provide antimicrobials via daily elastomeric devices. Elastomeric device trained nurses can administer/change pumps either in ambulatory care or via a virtual ward in the patient's home.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusions
- aged 16+
- continuing need for intravenous anti-infectives/complex oral anti-infectives
- medically fit for discharge
- ability to understand OPAT/COpAT and give informed consent
- support from family or carers, particularly for elderly patients or those with multiple co-morbidities
- suitable environment for intravenous antimicrobial administration in the patient’s home if required
- ability to attend OPAT/COpAT clinic as required
- access to a telephone for rapid communication under COpAT monitoring.
How to Refer
WH OPAT team
Discuss referrals with the OPAT team before filling out the online referral form below.
Patients can be referred from across NCL if they can attend at the hospital for monitoring, OPAT reviews and administration of antimicrobials on-site.
If patients require community nursing input (e.g. district nurses or virtual ward), the service is limited to residents in Haringey and Islington.
WH OPAT online referral form
Discuss all patients with the OPAT team via the email address above prior to submitting a formal referral using the online form.
Patients can be referred from across NCL if they can attend at the hospital for monitoring, OPAT reviews and administration of antimicrobials on-site.
If patients require community nursing input (e.g. district nurses or virtual ward), the service is limited to residents in Haringey and Islington.
Locations
Whittington Hospital
Service Feedback
Downloads
Resources
Related Services
Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy: RFL
OPAT provides intravenous antimicrobials used to treat infection in an outpatient or community setting NCL WideOutpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy: UCLH
OPAT facilitates and provides intravenous antimicrobials for a range of infections in an outpatient or community setting NCL WideRapid Access Infectious Diseases Clinic: Hospital for Tropical Diseases
RAID clinic for patients with suspected or confirmed acute infections, at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases NCL WideRelated Topics View All
Infectious Outbreaks & Tropical Diseases
Information about infectious and tropical disease services across NCLSepsis
Urgent & Emergency Care for Adults
Emergency, rapid access and urgent care servicesReview date: Thursday, 28 August 2025