New Northern Trust pathway cuts wait time for allergy patients
Innovative triage system reduces average appointment waits by 382 days by connecting families directly with specialist dietitians
An innovative new approach within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust is helping parents of infants with egg allergy access evidence-based advice and support more quickly.
The new pathway gives families access to support and advice earlier, and if required an appointment with a specialist dietitian, instead of waiting to be seen at a consultant-led allergy clinic.
With demand for allergy services continuing to grow, the change has streamlined the patient journey reducing the average wait time for an appointment by 382 days, when compared to the wait time for routine consultant-led care.
As part of the new pathway, consultants Dr Jenny Hughes and Dr Martin Hanna triage all referrals, directing patients to the most appropriate care - either an allied health professional (AHP) or consultant-led pathway. Clinical information is provided at the point of referral, enabling parents and carers to better understand how to manage egg allergy from the outset.
The new model focuses on the safe and early reintroduction of egg and other allergens into the diet which is an important goal in allergy management.
The initiative has been driven by the advanced clinical knowledge and leadership developed during the completion of a Master’s qualification in allergy at the University of Southampton, which a number of the Trust’s multidisciplinary team have completed.
Anne Marie Campbell, who is the first dietitian in Northern Ireland to successfully complete the Master’s in allergy, explains why the pathway has been developed:
“Most of us will know a baby, child or young person with an allergy and very often they will be waiting for specialist advice or treatment - as a team we wanted to improve accessibility for our patients and knew that we could improve our service for those with egg allergy in particular.
“We knew that demand for consultant-led allergy clinics was increasing beyond our capacity so we developed this new way of working to better support families.”
“By redesigning our pathway, we can provide our patients with appropriate allergy advice when they need it. Allergy management is changing with research highlighting the benefits of introducing allergens early in terms of preventing food allergy.”
Anne Marie, added: “Completing the Master’s degree has provided the advanced clinical knowledge and skills to support the delivery of this new pathway, and I’m very grateful to the Trust for giving me this opportunity.
“I am very fortunate to be part of a supportive multi-disciplinary team alongside my dietetic colleague Amy Skelton. As a team we ensure that the needs of our patients are at the heart of everything that we do.”
Seán Ó Conaire, Assistant Director Allied Health Professions in the Northern Trust, said: “I want to warmly congratulate the paediatric allergy multi-disciplinary team for their innovation and commitment to their patients.
“This new model of care reflects the growing role of advanced dietetic practice in supporting patient-centred healthcare and enabling greater access to specialist services.”