Development of the Department of Medicine for the Elderly Liaison Team.

To improve the care of patients with complexity, multimorbidity and frailty within the acute hospital, through the development of a specialist liaison team. Older people undergoing emergency surgery encounter more postoperative medical problems. The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) includes the process measure that patients over 70 should have access to specialists in the care of older patients. This led to the collaboration between critical care and surgical teams and development of the liaison service – a consultant geriatrician, specialist registrar and nurse consultant. This began an integrated way of working to improve care for emergency laparotomy patients over 70. …