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A new £190,000 Medical Day Hospital has now formally opened at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust affirming its commitment to providing excellent care for elderly and frail members of Enfield, Haringey and beyond.

After temporarily closing during the height of the pandemic, the new frailty-friendly, calm environment away from A&E was formally opened yesterday by the Trust’s Chief Executive Dr Nnenna Osuji and special guest, former Tottenham Hotspur club captain Ledley King.

The Medical Day Hospital has been used by elderly and frail patients as the Trust’s outpatient care of the elderly service which provides same-day emergency care and ongoing follow-ups in a frailty-friendly environment.

People aged over 65 make up only 15% of the Trust’s daily A&E attendances but occupy 75% of inpatient beds, and many are living with frailty. Those with frailty are more likely to be admitted, have longer lengths of stay, not return to their usual place of residence and suffer medical complications whilst in hospital.

This emphasises the importance of having the hub – which has been on site for 15 years – as elderly and frail patients can receive specialist care to keep them healthy.

Patients using the service can have regular check-ups, can be reviewed if they have heart failure and other conditions, have comprehensive geriatric assessment if they show signs of frailty and specialist geriatrician care.

This is all an environment where patients can make use of its dementia-friendly devices, new specialist equipment to ensure excellent care is provided, comfortable chairs, tables, a TV in the waiting area and more.

The hub has been open and in operation since April 2022 with yesterday’s formal opening being part of the Trust’s plans to mark and celebrate this year’s Frailty Awareness Month.

Dr Nnenna Osuji and Ledley King received a tour of the new hub from staff, got a welcoming from our North Mid Charity, spoke to patients and day hospital staff and heard all about the Trust’s new £8,000 Omi Projector.

The interactive projector is designed to keep elderly and frail people’s minds and bodies active through games, teasers, videos, animations and more.

Dr Richard Robson, frailty lead and consultant geriatrician, said: “We are delighted to open our new permanent home for the day hospital as it means we can provide care in a suitable environment.

“The day hospital is a key service to help older patients with complex needs so they can be assessed and safely managed. It helps our patients avoid being admitted to our Emergency Department and is a key tool in improving patient flow throughout the hospital.”

Dr Nnenna Osuji said: ‘’I’m really thrilled and proud that we now have a new home for the Medical Day Hospital and a fantastic frailty-friendly, calm space away from ED.

“It was great hearing from patients and colleagues at the event and learning about all the incredible work the team has been doing for Frailty Awareness Month including getting our frail patients out of bed for the Keep Me Mobile campaign and our frailty awareness sessions. This is an area we will continue to focus on for the people of Enfield and Haringey, recognising frailty is not just about age.”

Speaking after the event Ledley said: “The Club has a fantastic relationship with North Middlesex Hospital, so I was delighted to come along and open its new Medical Centre.

“It is a hugely impressive facility, and it is always great to speak to frontline NHS staff who are so committed to their patients. This new centre will undoubtedly help a huge number of patients across the community.”