• Reference Number: HEY1250/2024
• Departments: Elderly Medicine
• Last Updated: 31 October 2024

Introduction

We would like to introduce you to the Frailty Intervention Team, also known as the FIT Team. We are a team of healthcare professionals who specialise in reviewing older patients with frailty within the Emergency Department (ED). This leaflet has been designed to give you more information on what to expect when you see the FIT Team.

Who will you be seen by?

You will usually be seen by one or all of the following:

• A consultant specialising in frailty care
• Frailty nurse practitioners
• Therapists (occupational and physiotherapists)

Some patients may also be seen by other health care professionals, such as social workers, mental health care nurses and community partners.

Which patients are seen by the FIT team?

We monitor all older patients attending the Emergency Department and subsequently identify those patients who may benefit from a frailty team review. Our team work between 8.00am and 6.00pm daily.

What is the aim of the FIT team? 

It is well recognised that early review by a multidisciplinary team is very beneficial for older patients when they present to hospital and also that hospital admission can carry significant risks for older patients.

Our aims therefore are:

• To provide older patients with an early multidisciplinary review, to avoid unnecessary hospital admission for older patients and to help them return to their own environment if possible.
• To minimise the risk of muscle wasting that quickly occurs when older patients are resting in bed rather than remaining active.
• To assist supportive discharge and provide opportunities for follow up if needed (either within the community or in the hospital if unable to discharge).

How do we do this?

Once you have been assessed by the ED Team, you will be reviewed by the FIT Team including various members of the multidisciplinary team as required. They will look at many aspects of your care including:

• Review of your medical concerns
• Review of your memory, mood and any related concerns
• Review of your medications – we may discontinue unnecessary tablets
• Review of your mobility and ability to look after yourself at home 

What happens after my FIT review?

We hope to be able to help you to return to your usual home but in a few cases, it may be necessary to admit you to the hospital for further tests or treatment. We sometimes refer patients for further assessments. These could be in hospital or community-based clinics and the team will give you full details and an appointment time before you leave.

If you are not at your normal level of activity and have the potential to improve, we may refer you to rehabilitation services in the community. These may involve rehabilitation within your own home environment or admission to a rehabilitation bed in a community setting. Other patients may be suitable for respite care, which again is provided in the community. 

If you or your family have any further questions about your FIT review, the FIT team will be more than happy to answer these.

We are also always looking for ways to improve our services so if you have any feedback or suggestions, we would be grateful for your comments on our family and friend’s feedback forms.

Thank you for your support and we hope we have helped you to remain as fit, healthy and independent as possible.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.