The AMU team are specialised in the care of urgent problems related to the teams within the Medicine group: Respiratory (e.g. severe chest infection or severe asthma); Cardiology (e.g. suspected heart attacks); Gastroenterology (e.g. bleeding stomach ulcers); Infectious Diseases (e.g. cellulitis or infections picked up on exotic holidays); Endocrinology (e.g. diabetic emergencies). We also help the Stroke team with the care of patients with suspected stroke and many of the specialist Neurology patients when they become urgently unwell.
The work of the Medicine for the Elderly Team is a vital part of the AMU as not all patients who come into hospital have life-threatening problems requiring such intense medical treatment. For some, the referral to hospital is the result of a simple fall or series of falls or physical decline associated with the ageing process. These situations can still lead to urgent needs that cannot be met in the community even though they may not require any actual medical therapy. For this reason we not only have medical and nursing expertise at our fingertips but also our Multidisciplinary team in the form of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Social Services Liaison Teams to maximise our patients' chances of leaving hospital quickly and safely according to their needs.
We care for over 15,500 patients every year in the AMU and in doing so we work closely with all of our colleagues to provide effective, efficient and best quality care for the population of Tayside.
Where does the AMU Team fit In?
In NHS Tayside the process starts with you contacting your GP with a health concern. Once your GP has assessed you they may feel that further immediate investigation or treatment is required which they may not have full access to because they work outwith the hospital. In this case they would ask one of the urgent hospital teams to take over your care depending on which medical condition they felt was affecting you and which team would be best placed to look after you.
