San Donato: A&E streamlines its operations by entrusting non-urgent cases to the third sector
The trial is proving successful, with the first positive effects already evident in terms of time management and the ability to take on the most complex cases
No services are outsourced: everything takes place within the public healthcare system, and triage – that is, clinical management and the allocation of urgency codes – remains the responsibility of the public service. One week after the scheme began, the management of lower-priority cases, entrusted to voluntary organisations at the Arezzo San Donato A&E department, “is running smoothly and is already having a positive impact on waiting times and on the ability of permanent staff to take on more complex cases. “This initiative was launched to address a specific need and to safeguard the public service; there is no need for alarm,” explains Regional Councillor Roberta Casini regarding the pilot scheme run by the South-East Tuscany Local Health Authority at San Donato Hospital in Arezzo.
An extraordinary response to a structural issue
“We are talking about an extraordinary and temporary response to a structural crisis – the shortage of nurses and doctors – which affects not only Arezzo but the whole country. The regional government and the local health authority have not stood idly by, but have pulled out all the organisational stops to ensure the quality of care and the efficiency of this vital public service.”
The trial has been underway since 1 July and will run for one year, with the management of minor cases (less serious cases) entrusted under an agreement to voluntary organisations (Misericordia, AMPAS and the Red Cross).
“The approach chosen promotes the third sector, which in Tuscany has been an integral part of the public health service for decades,” continues Casini. “These are not entities outside the system: they are a pillar of it. Involving these organisations means choosing to collaborate and work together with the third sector. This decision will be one of the cornerstones of the new local healthcare system and the Community Centres.”
New Rapid Response Centres
In Arezzo, new Rapid Response Centres, due to be operational by September, will address the non-urgent needs that currently place a strain on the A&E department. The measure will therefore remain temporary, “but the approach – which combines quality of service, public provision and the promotion of volunteering – is the right one,” concludes Casini.
