South Sefton acute respiratory infection hub treats 10,000th patient

South Sefton’s acute respiratory infection (ARI) hub treated its 10,000th patient last month – a major milestone for the service, which launched in February 2023.

The ARI hub, which is known as South Sefton Access Service, was set up by South Sefton Primary Care Network (PCN) initially, with some investment from NHS England for ARI hubs during winter 2022.

Local GPs have continued to invest in the South Sefton Access Service since then, by employing clinicians via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS).   This has enabled the hub to become a core PCN service offered all year round, ensuring that more patients have access to on-the-day appointments.

The GP-led service now offers up to 150 same-day appointments for patients who are suffering from a range of acute respiratory illnesses such as respiratory tract infections, and practice staff can directly book patients for appointments for other common conditions such as ear and eye infections.

There are now several hub sites currently running across South Sefton, including in Bootle, Seaforth and Litherland, Crosby and Maghull.

Key Impacts

• Providing extra capacity for the urgent treatment of 10,000 patients – many of whom would have attended A&E if they had not been able to access this rapid assessment
• The service has received excellent feedback from both patients and clinicians alike.
• 97% of patients who have used the service saying that they would recommend it to others (NHS Friends and Family Test).