Are SDECs making things more complicated? We asked patients, staff, and researchers

Participating in the meeting were our PPI co-applicant, Howard Whiting, our new PPI study lead, Jo Coster, two paramedics from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, a medical student, Professor Steve Goodacre (ED consultant) and five members of the SECF PPI group.

Paramedics in attendance at the meeting clarified that SDECs aren't an option patients choose but rather a service they are referred to. One paramedic shared their experience of a newly opened SDEC that was overwhelmed within a month and subsequently stopped taking referrals, which caused confusion among ambulance staff. Another meeting attendee recounted a personal story about their elderly mother needing to visit an SDEC four times for tests and results. This was recounted as an experience that was traumatic and logistically difficult, prompting questions about whether an inpatient admission would have been more appropriate.