A new hospital unit has opened at the Leicester Royal Infirmary as part of a wider Quality Improvement (QI) project to enhance care for vulnerable patients. The Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) Unit is for people aged 65 and over who are frail and come to the Emergency Department (ED).
By September 2025, 1,929 patients had been through the unit instead of ED, of which 1,496 were able to be discharged the same day. Prior to the unit being in place, it is likely that all patients would have been admitted.
Instead of waiting in the busy ED, patients are taken straight to the unit, where Emily Laithwaite and her team provide expert, personalised care. They assess each patient quickly and decide the best course of treatment. For many, this means they can go home the same day with support in the community.
The team also runs daily ‘hot clinics’ to follow up on patients who have recently been discharged, ensuring they continue to get the care they need.
Emily, who is Head of Service for Geriatric Medicine, said: “Our focus is on giving older people specialist care quickly, so they can stay at home whenever possible and avoid the complications that can come from long hospital stays.”
This project is part of myQI: your care – our campaign that shines a light on the everyday improvements our teams are making across UHL for the benefit of our patients.
The myQI campaign shares stories from our teams who have spotted opportunities to make things better and acted on them – bringing real benefits to patients, as well as the colleagues who care for them.