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Dr Zalan Alam

dr alam local heroes 2016 3x2

dr alam local heroes 2016 3×2

Dr Alam is an intermediate care champion whose work ‘has been helping local GPs manage medical complexity at home’, according to nominators.

As a clinical lead for intermediate care services at GP Care at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG, Dr Alam led on a project as part of a wider collaboration (including the council, out-of-hours provider and Age UK) to help the frail elderly live at home.

A multidisciplinary clinical team provided support for patients at home or at an intermediate care site. All GPs or other healthcare professionals need to do is call a number to refer patient who have some clinical deterioration, but don’t need, or wouldn’t benefit from, admission or aggressive intervention. This has reduced frail and elderly acute admissions by 9% and long-term nursing home placement by 20% in only six months. The project has even been featured in the Guardian.

Dr Alam hopes the service will help free GPs to manage medical complexity. He believes the multidisciplinary way of working benefits patients – and boosts his job satisfaction: ‘Working with health and social colleagues together is rewarding and provides a real insight into managing patients. You see patients responding to this and not adopting the role of “sick person” but rather sharing in decision making.’

Next year Dr Alam will develop this work with integrated neighbourhood teams, something he says is a ‘crucial link’ to support care of the frail and elderly ‘as it provides earlier identification and supports discharge plus advance care planning’.

What others say about him ‘His work with intermediate care has been helping local GPs manage medical complexity at home.’

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