Getting hospital admission due to frailty?

[falstaff1980]

We keep having to cancel outpatient appointments like echocardiograms for my dad because he's just physically too frail to make it hospital. Just this morning I had to help him get up from the toilet because he couldn't stand. He clearly needs proper hospital admission where they can wheel him around in a bed and do all the tests they want to do to diagnose whatever he has. Should I just call the GP and explain the situation and they'll send an ambulance to take him in?

There should be hospital transport. Not an ambulance though, but a wheelchair accessible minibus.

You should definitely call the GP to discuss the issues and request a home visit so the GP can assess. It is unlikely, ime, that they will send an ambulance to take him in, but they may have alternative routes they can take.

Likely won't call an ambulance but they could organise a planned admission. Sitting in ED for hours waiting for a bed is not going to do your dad any favours.

Sorry, pressed post too soon. The problem with the hospital transport is that they make a trip twice a day so will pick up in the morning and bring him home much later. It might be easier if at all possible to take him in a car or a taxi.

I would ring the GP but in my experience primary and secondary care are really not joined up at all

If he needs to attend on a stretcher, taken by ambulance, they will arrange that for him no problem.
In my experience, what they don't do is have all the appointments on one day, so it will mean more than one trip up and down.- the wait for the return ambulance can be quite long.. and sometimes they have you there super early, to fit in with the other transport jobs.. so this can make it quite tiresome and difficult.
Would a wheelchair be an option? Then you could take him by wheelchair taxi and he will be able to sit down but won't have to lay on a stretcher or have such long waits?
Hopefully you get sorted for him soon.

Thanks all, I think ambulance is the only option. I will contact his GP.

IME If he's not acutely unwell, he won't be admitted to hospital as its a planned outpatients procedure. However if you do feel he is acutely unwell do call your gp.
PLEASE DON'T as used to be suggested on here call 999 and give false heart/breathing troubles to get an ambulance!

By that I mean an emergency ambulance! Onhis appt letter there should be info for patient transport who can help.

Some hospitals have an outpatient clinic where multiple tests happen on same day. If he can use patient transport they will manage the travel to and fro.

Does he have any formal care in place who could assess re the mobility issues? Or do you have a similar service to this locally?
https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/ict/#:~:text=The%20Unplanned%20Intermediate%20Care%20Team,risk%20of%20admission%20to%20hospital.

I don’t think you have provided enough information regarding your dads condition for anyone to advise. For example, how long has dad been frail and struggling for? Has there been a gradual decline over a number of months or a sudden deterioration in his condition over just a few days? Acute hospital admission should only be for those people who are acutely unwell. A gp home visit is probably a good starting point.

Thanks all. Contacted GP and best they can do is send a district nurse over to see him, and the GP will visit herself within next two weeks.