Frailty Service (Ward C16)

The Frailty Service on Ward C16 provides a specialised area for rapid assessment of frail patients. This short-term unit will support appropriate patients for up to 48 hours providing them with assessments and tests as appropriate to ensure the best next steps are in place as they go onto receive care in the community.   

When a frail older patient is admitted into our hospital, they are at an increased risk of the negative effects of being in hospital. These include hospital-acquired-deconditioning (wasting of the muscles due to moving less), delirium (new confusion), falling over, and hospital acquired infections. As a result, patients can become more dependent and require a significant increase in the support they need to leave hospital.  

To reduce this risk, our Frailty Service has been created in collaboration with local healthcare partners to offer personalised comprehensive assessment and care that avoids unnecessary admission to hospital. 

The service is one element of collaborative work to ensure older adults have timely access to specialised assessment in the most appropriate location.