In May 2025, a new service was launched in north Cumbria to help people access the right healthcare which is often not via an A&E department or being admitted into a hospital bed. MATCH (Multi-Agency Telephone Coordination Hub) is based at Wigton Hospital and the team is made up of a nurse, GP, paramedic, therapist and administrative support. The aim of the service is to support care in the community and prevent hospital admissions where possible. In the seven months since it launched, the service has had over 2,600 referrals and 60% of those referrals were managed without attending an A&E department.
Initially, referrals were made into the hub by Carlisle-based GPs but then it quickly expanded to all GPs in north Cumbria as well as North West Ambulance Service and community departments such as physiotherapy and podiatry.
Dr Vicky Gate, a GP in acute medicine for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, who is based in the hub, explains: “While some patients need to attend A&E or be admitted to a hospital bed, the majority of patients can be cared for by other services. MATCH is about exploring the best option for each patient in our multi-disciplinary team.
“If we can identify where a patient needs to be as early as possible, it leads to better outcomes for that patient. This is not about keeping patients out of hospital to free up beds, it is about making sure the patient is in the best place for the care they need. The majority of patients do want to stay at home if they possibly can and we work closely with our Same Day Emergency Care departments (SDEC) at the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital so patients can be seen, treated and discharged on the same day where possible.”
As well as the SDEC departments, MATCH uses a range of services in the community such as social support, virtual wards and community hospitals for services such as infusions.
Dr Gate added: “We know hospital is not the best place to be if it can be avoided, particularly for frail patients who are at an increased risk of falling or being exposed to infection in hospital. The benefit of MATCH is that we have the time to make things come together for a patient and plan their care, we are not also looking after a ward or department full of patients. We also have access to that patient’s GP notes, any A&E notes and we can see the live A&E position so we have that overview of what is happening across our health system.”