HIGH admission rates for heart failure patients have led to the opening of a day care unit at that aims to keeps all but the most critically ill patients out of hospital.

Dr Harmandeep Singh and Dr Stuart Rosen, of Ealing Hospital, proposed the three-month pilot after London NW University NHS Trust admitted more than 1,500 people during 2017-18.

Dr Singh said: “It is a national problem, which costs the NHS more than £5bn a year, and the pressure on bed space is only going to increase unless we see a sea change in lifestyle.

“I regularly see patients who, through no fault of their own, are spending too long in hospital because we don’t have an effective early intervention programme.”

The new day care unit, based in the hospital’s ambulatory care centre, goes far beyond existing units in the NHS, offering a ‘one-stop shop’ service focused on treating and discharging patients the same day.

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It offers a lifeline for patients like Daljit Lota, who was admitted to Ealing six times for heart failure in a single year and subsequently spent more than 100 days in hospital.

Mr Lota, 67, of Southall, said: “I’ve been seen twice at the new clinic and avoided any hospital stays since, which is a relief. It makes a big difference being able to go home.”

In the first month of the 12-week pilot, t38 patients who would normally have been admitted to hospital were treated. Several required more than one attendance but only two required hospital admission.

Dr Singh added: “The initial results are very exciting and our hope is that this sort of unit could be rolled out across the UK. 

“The ongoing challenge in the NHS is how to get more from less.”