Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode

An Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode  is an ACTIVITY GROUP.

An Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode is an episode of clinical care for a PATIENT under the responsibility of a named CARE PROFESSIONAL in an Urgent and Emergency Care Service, which occurs following initial assessment by a CARE PROFESSIONAL qualified for independent practice in Urgent and Emergency Care. Typically this decision will be taken during a Emergency Care Attendance or Same Day Emergency Care Attendance.

An Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode starts at the Urgent and Emergency Care Activity End Timestamp  of the Emergency Care Attendance or Same Day Emergency Care Attendance within which the clinical decision was taken to discharge the PATIENT to their normal place of residence, but with an ongoing duty of care to follow up under a Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode.

An Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode  spans a series of planned attendances (typically Same Day Emergency Care Attendances) for ongoing follow up care. If during the same time period the PATIENT attends an Urgent and Emergency Care Service for unplanned attendances (for example their condition deteriorates and they attend the Emergency Care Department within the same Health Care Provider), then the unplanned attendance should also be recorded as being part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode.

All Emergency Care Attendances and Same Day Emergency Care Attendances, either face to face or virtual, and either scheduled or unscheduled, that occurs during an Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode period, must be linked to the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode. The URGENT AND EMERGENCY CARE ACTIVITY IDENTIFIER which identifies the open Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode must be linked in the ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD system, and submitted in the Emergency Care Data Set Version 4 record relating to the Emergency Care Attendance or Same Day Emergency Care Attendance.

A Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode should run for no longer than 4 weeks (28 days); and within this, the maximum interval between scheduled face to face or virtual attendances must be no longer than 8 days.

A Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode ends when either:

• The PATIENT is formally discharged from the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode period of ongoing planned care, having received all necessary treatment (for example to their own GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONER to manage care)

• A decision to admit to a WARD is taken by the responsible CARE PROFESSIONAL during a scheduled or unscheduled face to face or virtual attendance which is part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode, for example if the condition of the PATIENT has deteriorated such that Admitted Patient Care is now clinically required

• The PATIENT is referred to another speciality or SERVICE within the same Health Care Provider, to continue treatment under a Care Professional Out-Patient Episode.

• When the ongoing clinical care of the PATIENT is transferred to a different Health Care Provider.

• The PATIENT dies

Where the PATIENT is formally discharged from the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode by the responsible CARE PROFESSIONAL and this decision is taken during a scheduled or unscheduled attendance, the Urgent and Emergency Care Activity End Timestamp for the Emergency Care Data Set Version 4 record relating to Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode is the same as the Urgent and Emergency Care Activity End Timestamp  of the Emergency Care Attendance or  Same Day Emergency Care Attendance where the clinical decision to discharge the PATIENT was taken. In all cases, the PATIENT (and the receiving Health Care Provider if applicable) should receive a written summary of care delivered, and future suggested CARE PLANS.

If a decision to close the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode is taken outside of a scheduled or unscheduled attendance (for example if the PATIENT is admitted to another Health Care Provider, dies, leaves the country, fails to attend scheduled attendances etc), the Urgent and Emergency Care Activity End Timestamp for the record relating to the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode in the Emergency Care Data Set Version 4 submission would be the date, time and time zone that the clinical decision to close the Urgent and Emergency Care Extended Care Episode was taken. If appropriate/possible, the Health Care Provider to whom the PATIENT'S care is transferred, and the PATIENT themselves, should receive a written summary of care delivered and future suggested CARE PLANS.