The Older Persons Assessment and Liaison Service (OPAL) is part of the Care of the Elderly Department, working in partnership with Urgent Care and the Emergency Department and the wider community health and social care systems.
The team provides rapid comprehensive geriatric assessment and crisis intervention, avoiding unnecessary admission in the acute hospital or reducing the length of stay.
The OPAL team’s focus is to enable patients’ timely recovery. When deemed appropriate, they consider a community facing approach and working collaboratively with wider health and social care partners. This enables provision of care and support closer to home and avoids deconditioning of older people.
The OPAL team is an integrated multi-disciplinary team consisting of a geriatrician consultant, doctors in training, an advanced clinical practitioner, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, a dietitian, speech and language therapist, social workers, a pharmacist, administrative staff, and volunteers supported by other specialist professionals from the trust and community partners.
The OPAL Unit receives referrals directly from GPs, paramedics, community specialist healthcare professionals (i.e. specialist nurses/matron) or identified patients from the Emergency Department.
Contact Details
- Address:
- The Princess Alexandra Hospital
Ground Floor
B17 - Reception phone number:
- 01279 973164
- Phone Number:
- 01279 827241 (Extension other referrals)
- Email (for clinicians only):
- [email protected]
- Service hours:
- Monday to Sunday (direct referrals: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
GPs and paramedics – please contact via Consultant Connect.
Visiting hours:
We follow the Visitor’s Charter (daily: 11am to 8pm)