UEC Hub, Admission Avoidance & Discharge Support
Information on the UEC Hub, admission avoidance and the discharge support services available within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS).
Admission Avoidance & Discharge Support
In the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) we have been developing our alternative to ED pathways to support patient interventions in the 'pre-hospital' space, to keep patients at home, where it is clinically safe to do so.
We have been working over the past 18 months to integrate our urgent and same-day services to make it easier for our professionals to access from across the system.
Below is information on the UEC Hub and the admission avoidance and discharge support services available across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough system.
Please click on the relevant buttons, to take you to the appropriate section of this page.
What is the UEC Hub?
Following guidance from NHS England, all integrated Care Systems (ICS) within the East of England, were asked to develop an Unscheduled Care Co-ordination Hub (UCCH) which aims to streamline and maximise the pre-hospital and admission avoidance pathways.
On 9 December 2024, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough launched our 'Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) Hub'.
The UEC Hub is a single point of access supporting Healthcare Professionals across the system to ensure their patients are receiving the right care, first time, out of hospital by coordinating admission avoidance services.
It also helps those patients attending secondary care services with lift threatening illnesses and emergencies by relieving pressure on our ED teams, meaning those patients are seen in a more timely fashion. This hub currently includes:
- Clinical Advice and Guidance — also known as Call Before You Convey (CB4C).
- Joint Emergency response Team (JET).
- Urgent Wrap Around Care North & South — providing urgent community response and up to 5 days continued support.
- Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) — is support for admission avoidance and includes Age UK, Care Network and Caring Together.
The UEC Hub is also working with the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) to take referrals from the ambulance stack, to support a reduction in ambulance dispatches, where a person is identified as being suitable for alternative to ED support.
How can the UEC Hub be accessed?
The UEC Hub operates from 8.00am to 8.00pm daily.
To access the hub, you can call 0333 332 6800.
There are two core functions within the hub:
Option 1 — is the clinical advice and guidance line, also known as Call Before You Convey, which can provide advice and support where patients are deemed to have an urgent need which may be better managed in an alternative setting to ED. This function is most often used by the ambulance service but its available to clinicians in the community.
Option 2 — is for the referrals where you know your patient requires one of the urgent community response services listed above. The hub will receive the referral and arrange for the most appropriate service to respond.
The UEC Hub will mean you no longer have to ring around to various services to discuss a potential referral, freeing up your valuable time to look after your patients.
Admission Avoidance
Minor Injury Units & Urgent Treatment Centres
MIUs and UTCs provide medical help when it is not a life-threatening emergency. They can diagnose many of the common issues patients attend A&E for and can help with admission avoidance and patient flow within the acute hospitals.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have the following MIUs/UTCs:
- Minor Injury Unit: Doddington Hospital
- Minor Injury Unit: Princess of Wales Hospital, Ely
- Minor Injury Unit: North Cambs Hospital, Wisbech
- Urgent Treatment Centre: Peterborough City Hospital
Access/Referral Route:
Referrals either via NHS 111 or self referral
Operating Hours:
MIU Doddington:
- 08:30 — 18:00, Monday - Friday
- 09:00 — 17:00, Saturday - Sunday
MIU Ely:
- 08:30 — 18:00, Monday - Sunday
MIU Wisbech
- 08:30 — 18:00, Monday - Friday
UTC Peterborough:
- 08:00 — 20:00, Monday — Sunday
Contact Details:
- MIU Doddington — 01354 637078
- MIU Ely — 01353 772500
- MIU Wisbech — 01945 468787
- UTC Peterborough — TBC
Same Day Emergency Care (SDECs)
Same Day Emergency Care facilities have been set up within CUH, Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospital, which allows specialists, where appropriate, to assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival, to avoid hospital admission.
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals via clinician to clinician telephone conversations only
Operating Hours:
TBC
Contact Details:
Via direct telephone numbers to the speciality registrars and consultants
Enhanced Response Service (ERS)
ERS responds to:
- Non-Injury Falls
- Careline personal alarm activations (when not a medical emergency)
- Urgent social care requests for up to a maximum of 72 hours
Access/Referral route:
ERS can receive referrals 24/7 by telephone for urgent social care from:
- GPs and Primary Care Team
- Community Health Services
- Transfer of Care Teams
- Emergency duty team and adult social care teams
- Ambulance Service
- 111
Operating Hours:
- 24/7
Contact Details:
NHS 111 HCP Line
NHS 111 is a service that helps you get the right advice or treatment for your physical or mental health.
111 have a healthcare professional line and or patient self-referral for advice & guidance.
The HCP line is part of the Integrated Urgent Care Service offer and HCPs will be able to directly access this service to receive clinical advice and guidance and support referrals to alternative to ED services, as required.
Access/Referral route:
- Referrals from healthcare professionals (HCPs) and self referrals from patients
Operating Hours:
- 24/7
Contact Details:
- 111 Option 1
NHS Service Finder
NHS Service Finder is a free online search tool which provides access to information from the NHS Directory of Services (DoS) and nhs.uk
The service finder allows pharmacy team members and other HCPs. to search for service information quickly, allowing a patient to be signposted to the most appropriate service for their need.
Access/referral route:
- Any HCP can access this online tool to support their patients and will need to create an account, in order to find the most suitable local services in your area.
Operating Hours:
- 24/7
Contact Details:
Intermediate Care Team (ICT)
The Intermediate Care Team provides short-term (up to four weeks) care and therapy support to patients within their own homes or in intermediate care health beds within care homes. This is to support the prevention of hospital admission and support from discharge from hospital.
Access/referral route:
- Referrals from Health and social care professionals (HSCPs) only
- Referrals to be sent through the CPFT admin hubs via telephone
Operating Hours:
- Office: 07:00 — 22:00, Monday - Sunday
- ICT: 07:00 — 22:00, Monday - Sunday
Contact Details:
- 0330 726 0077
Reablement
Telephone: 01223 703235 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Reablement is a programme of short term support tailored to individual needs, to help re-learn the skills needed for daily living and reduce the amount of care and support required.
Reablement is about helping people to do things for themselves rather than having things done for them. Reablement programmes can last from as little as a few days to a few weeks.
Reablement south:
- Cambridge City
- Sawston
- Ely
High Impact Use Service
The High Impact Use Service aims to support frequent attenders to A&E at Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital and Addenbrooke's hospital, who are attending for social or environmental reasons rather than health reasons.
Access/referral route:
Referrals from healthcare professionals.
Operating Hours:
Monday-Sunday, 9.00am-5.00pm
Contact Details:
Once consent has been received from the patient for support, please email their details to HIUReferrals@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Virtual Wards via Digital Technology
Virtual wards support more people to be treated in the comfort of their own homes, by monitoring them at home. This also reduces the risk known to hospitals stays.
NWAFT's virtual wards via digital technology have 30 funded beds and patients will be identified for this virtual ward from all clinical areas. Patients must consent to being admitted onto the virtual ward and will be provided with the appropriate equipment to use in their homes.
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals from healthcare professionals (HCPs) only.
Referrals can be sent via ICE, telephone or email
Operating Hours:
07:00 — 19:00 Monday - SundayContact Details:
Office Number TBC
Extensions: 7961/1597/1596
Email: nwangliaft.virtualwardteam@nhs.net
General Medicine Virtual Ward
The general medicine virtual ward has a focus on providing safe and optimal care to adults with frailty, who may require urgent or emergency care needs due to intercurrent illness etc
Patients must be assessed by a clinician and the decision made to support the patient within the community.
Patients must be:
-
Diagnosed with a condition that can be managed within the community setting.
-
Aged 18 and above
-
Patient requiring short term (1-14 days) stay on the Virtual Ward
-
Living within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals from healthcare professionals (HCPs) only
Referrals can be sent via ICE, telephone or email
Operating Hours:
08:00 — 20:00 Monday — Sunday
Contact Details:
Office number TBC
Extension: 7961/1597/1596
Email: nwangliaft.virtualwardteam@nhs.net
Frailty Virtual Ward
Similar to the general medicine virtual ward, the frailty virtual ward supports patients in providing safe and optimal care to adults with frailty, who may be presenting with urgent and emergency care needs.
Patient must be assessed by NWAFT’s clinicians.
Patients must be:
- Diagnosed with a condition that can be managed within the community setting.
- Aged 65 and above
- Patient requiring short term (1-14 days) stay on the Virtual Ward.
Access/Referral Routes:
Referral from Healthcare professionals (HCPs) only
Referrals can be sent via ICE, telephone or email
Operating Hours:
08:00 — 20:00 Monday - Sunday
Contact Details:
Office Number TBC
Extensions: 7961/1597/1596
Email: nwangliaft.virtualwardteam@nhs.net
Intravenous Antibiotics at Home Service
Sciensus works alongside our Trust to offer this service to eligible patients in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Patients can receive the IV Antibiotics they need, in the comfort of their own home.
Referral/Access Route:
Referrals from healthcare professionals (HCPs) only
Referrals can be sent via ICE, telephone or email
Operating Hours:
24/7
Contact Details:
Office Number TBC
Extensions: 7961/1597/1596
First Response Service (FRS)
The first response service (FRS) provides mental health care, advice and support all year round.
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals from Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and self referrals
Operating Hours:
24/7, 365 days per year
Contact Details:
Call 111 and select the mental health option
Adult Early Help Hub
The Adult Early Help Hub focuses on supporting vulnerable adults to feel safe, included and a key part of the community.
This includes adults with:
- Mental health conditions
- Autism
- Learning Disabilities
- Physical Disabilities
- Sensory needs (sight and hearing difficulties)
- Older People
Access/Referral Route:
- Patients over 18 years old who are seeking support or social care
- Referrals from Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) Only
Operating Hours:
TBC
Contact Details:
- Telephone: 0345 045 5202
- Email: careinfo@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) Single Point of Access
The Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) Single Point of Access (SPA) is a system for Hospital Discharge support, developed by Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Care Network Cambridgeshire and Caring Together.
Referrals come through to the VSA SPA and are then triaged and forwarded to the appropriate service.
The VSA SPA can provide:
- Hospital discharge support
- Admission Avoidance
- Specialist Professional support
- Ongoing support for up to 6 weeks
- Ongoing support for wellbeing
Patient must be 18 and over and live within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals to be sent from acute providers through to the UEC Hub
Please ensure you have the patient's consent to make the referral and for the VSA to hold their details, in order to make contact.
Operating Hours:
Monday — Friday, 09:00 — 16:30
Contact Details:
CPFT Community Mental Health Services
The Adult Locality Teams provide health and social care interventions for those with complex mental health needs.
CPFT have the following teams:
- Huntingdon Adult Locality Team
- Fenland Adult Locality Team
- Peterborough & Borders Adult Locality Team
- Cambridge Adult Locality Team
Access/Referral Route:
Via GP only
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 09:00 — 17:00
Contact Details:
- Huntingdon - 01480 445160/01480 445353
- Fenland - 01945 468450
- Peterborough -01733 748481
- Cambridge — 01223 341500
For more information on CPFT's Adult Mental Health Services, please click here.
CPFT Community Services
CPFT provide many community services such as:
- Community Nursing
- Adult and Older People's mental health
- Specialist services such as diabetes, podiatry, dietetics, integrated community care etc
Suitable for patients over 18 years of age, requiring support within the community at home.
Access/referral route:
Referrals from HCPs and self referrals from patients.
Referrals to be sent through to the CPFT admin hub, via telephone
Operating Hours:
CPFT's admin hub runs 08:00 — 18:00, Monday - Sunday
Contact Details:
0330 726 0077
Help at Home: Care Micro Enterprises (CMEs)
The Care Micro-Enterprises (CMEs) are local people we are helping to set up their own small businesses. They provide their neighbours with personalised care and support, and other services that maintain independence at home.
Access/Referral Route:
- Self referral or via a healthcare professional.
- Please note that this service is only for residents within Cambridgeshire.
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 08:00 — 17:00
Contact Details:
- Email: cmedevelopment@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01223 706100
- For more information, please go to the CME website here.
CPFT Domiciliary Medicines Management Service
The Domiciliary Medicines Management Service aims to help people in the community to manage their medicines safely, correctly, and independently. This can be accomplished by visiting patients in their homes so that the service can holistically review and discuss medications and offer advice, where appropriate, so that patients are able to manage their medicines better and more safely. The service will work closely alongside GP surgeries, community pharmacies and with other Health Care Professionals to get the best outcomes for all patients.
The service also offers reminder aids which they can loan, to help patients remember to take their medications, as well as other helpful reminders, aids, and printed information.
Access/Referral Routes:
Referrals from GP or Healthcare professionals (HCPs) only.
The service cannot accept referrals for out of area patients
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 09:00 — 17:00
Contact Details:
Telephone: 01353 772525
- Option 1 - East Cambs & Fenland Area
- Option 2 — Cambridge Area
- Option 3 — Huntingdonshire Area
- Option 4 — Peterborough Area
- Option 5 — General Queries
Technology Enabled Care Services - Cambridgeshire County Council
The Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) team provides guidance, training and advice to both the public and professionals. If suitable, they can loan assistive technology to support the independence and safety of those in Cambridgeshire. They can also provide support and reassurance to patients family members.
Access/Referral Route:
Referral via healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 09:00 — 17:00
Contact Details:
Telephone: 01480 378 160
Email: TECS@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Healthcare professionals can make a formal referral to the service by completing this online form — https://cambridgeshire-self.achieveservice.com/service/Technology_Enabled_Care_referral_form
Technology Enabled Care Services - Peterborough County Council
The Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) team provides guidance, training and advice to both the public and professionals. If suitable, they can loan assistive technology to support the independence and safety of those in Peterborough. They can also provide support and reassurance to patients family members.
Access/Referral Route:
Self referral and via a healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 09:00 — 17:00
Contact Details:
- Telephone: 01733 747474
- Email: adultsocialcare@peterborough.gov.uk
You can also download and complete the TEC / Lifeline self-referral form via the TECS website.
Peterborough Food Bank
The Peterborough Food Bank opened in 2012, following a tackling poverty workshop that identified that 1 in 4 children within the Peterborough area, were living in poverty.
The Peterborough food bank was founded by local churches and community groups, to support those in need and you must have a food voucher, to be able to access the food banks.
Access/Referral Route:
Self referral or heath care professional
Operating Hours:
Depending on which food bank you use, operating days and hours will differ.
Contact Details:
- Telephone: 0808 2082138
- Email: info@peterborough.foodbank.org.uk
You can also submit an enquiry form online here.
Fenland Food Banks
H.A.Y Fenland helps to provider food banks, parcels, community fridges and more, where people can access urgently needed food and necessities. Many of these organisations can also help with other types of support, such as help with benefits, debt, and more. They also welcome donations and volunteer enquiries.
Access/Referral Route:
Self referral or relatives and via a healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
Depending on which food bank you use, operating days and hours will differ.
Contact Details:
Please visit the H.A.Y Fenland website for more details.
Huntingdon Food Banks
Diamond Hampers support the whole of the Huntingdonshire area and provides emergency food aid, supports the homelessness through hostels and those sleeping rough, supports care leavers being housed for the first time with all the essentials they need for their new homes, such as cooking equipment and utensils, and helps to source furniture and other essentials for families escaping domestic violence.
Access/Referral Route:
Self referral, via relative or healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
Monday - Sunday, 08:00 — 20:00
Contact Details:
- Telephone: 07769 312711
- Email: diamondhampers@yahoo.com
For more information on other food banks within the Huntingdonshire District, please click here.
The Cinnamon Trust - Pet Care in an Emergency
The Cinnamon Trust is a charity that helps older people keep their pets, in which volunteers can provide support such as dog walking and pet fostering.
Access/Referral Route:
Self referral, via relatives or healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 10:00 — 16:00
Contact Details:
Telephone: 01736 757 900
Further pet care charities can be found here.
Age UK Telephone Friendship Service
The telephone friendship service is a free service for older people over 50 where they can chat with someone over the phone at a regular time each once a week. A 30 minute call can make a huge difference to an older person's life.
Access/referral Route:
Self referral or via a relatives or healthcare professional
Operating Hours:
24/7
Contact Details:
Telephone: 0800 470 8090
For more information, please click here.