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NHS@Home - IV antimicrobials (OPAT)

Checked: 03-01-2024 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 02-01-2025

Overview

Overview

The NHS@Home OPAT team provides clinical care for people who are acutely unwell with a respiratory illness (new or exacerbation of a chronic condition) in their own homes across BNSSG.

Who are we? Multidisciplinary healthcare professionals from the collaborative BNSSG NHS@Home team, working with Specialist Consultants from NBT and UHBW.

How does the service work?

The service uses a mixture of digital remote monitoring up to four times per day (NEWS2 and bespoke questionnaires) visible on a virtual ward dashboard, telephone and video support, and face to face visits from specialist teams. Twice weekly MDTs ensure antimicrobial stewardship.

What enhanced skills does the service have?

PICC care including line removal and Port management
For a full list of NHS@home skills, download the Infographic on the NHS@home page
Access to Microbiologists/Infection Specialist Consultants

Who is suitable for an NHS@Home OPAT pathway of care?

The service is suitable for adults who:

This service is not suitable for adults who:

Meet the general criteria for an NHS@Home pathway
Are acutely unwell with an infective illness requiring IV antimicrobials including:
- Urinary tract Infection
- Respiratory infection
- Cellulitis BNSSG Adult Cellulitis Pathway
Has been discussed with an infection specialist/microbiologist to determine appropriate IV antimicrobial therapy
Have a clear treatment plan including frequency of monitoring, review and follow-up

Are displaying signs of sepsis.
Has a pyrexia of unknown origin (unless seen by an infection specialist).

Referral

In addition to the pathway specific criteria above, the standard criteria on the NHS@Home overview page need to be met.

The GP will need to have a conversation with the microbiologist to discuss the clinical plan, followed by calling the respective NHS@Home acute team.

Please consult the microbiologist linked to the GP practice to discuss antimicrobial therapy (UHBW microbiology 0117 342 9269, NBT microbiology 0117 4141754).

If intravenous antimicrobials are approved, please make a referral to the NHS@Home service in that respective Trust (UHBW 0117 342 2327 or NBT 0117 4140275).

Once treatment is agreed by microbiology, the treatment plan is completed. This is forwarded to the NHS@home team. The treatment plan is available in EMIS.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

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