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'I attended A&E weekly - new help has changed my life'

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Gayle Hodges said the HIU pilot has improved her life and cut her hospital admissions

A woman who used to attend A&E twice a week says her life has been changed by a new NHS scheme.

Somerset's High Intensity Use (HIU) service was set up in August 2023 with the aim of getting people the right help at home before their condition escalated.

In its first year supporting 141 HIU patients, there has been a 48% reduction in the use of A&E by this group, saving an estimated £250,000.

Gayle Hodges, 54, from Merriott, was one of the pilot's first patients, she said: "The HIU actually care for the patient and that's made so much difference in my life."

She now takes more than 40 tablets a day for a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, struggling with movement and fatigue.

Before taking part in the pilot, she was "at the end of her tether".

But after help from the HIU team, who reviewed her medication and introduced more home support for her physical issues, she no longer attends A&E regularly.

A man with short brown hair smiling into camera. He is wearing a black shirt with white stripes and a blue ID lanyard. Behind him are nurses at workstations in an A&E.
Neil Thomas, pilot lead, said a small number of people account for 16% of all A&E attendances

Neil Thomas, lead for the HIU service, said his team works closely with Somerset's Community Council to find non-healthcare alternatives for patients.

This "pulls together services and thinking differently around the individual's needs", he added.

"It's very much about understanding the little things that matter so much to people, like somebody needing a ramp built up to their front door because they have significant pain that means they can't use steps, and that was causing them to fall, which in turn caused them to phone for an ambulance," he added.

Mr Thomas said research shows that there is "a clear link between a HIU of emergency services and wider health inequalities", such as age, housing and social isolation.

"A very small percentage of patients account for 16% of all emergency department attendances in Somerset, as well as 26% of hospital admissions, and 29% of those brought to hospital by ambulance," he said.

The HIU service was developed by hospital leaders working with high intensity patients, he added.

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Dr Joe Rowton, A&E Consultant Yeovil, said high intensity patients often did not have their needs met in A&E

Dr Joe Rowton, A&E consultant in Yeovil, said high intensity patients often do not have their needs met by an emergency department.

He added the new service was "invaluable" especially during high admissions in the winter.

"Both at Musgrove (Park Hospital in Taunton) and here we have noticed a drop in our HIU.

"It's helping a lot in terms of our pressures we are experiencing," he said.

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