The first Clinical Care Center (CAC) in the country, which opened at the Sete Rios Health Center in Lisbon, attended to 551 patients in its first two weeks of operation. In a statement, the Ministry of Health clarifies that of these more than half a hundred patients, about 50% were “referred by the Central Emergency Service of Santa Maria Hospital and the other half referred by the SNS 24 Hotline.”
“Since opening its doors, the CAC has attended to 11% of the green and blue triage bracelets from Santa Maria’s Emergency Department, providing a quick and local response, with satisfaction from both patients and professionals,” the statement reads.
Of all the patients attended, only five were transferred from the CAC to the Central Emergency Service, “none of whom required hospitalization.” Thus, the Ministry of Health emphasizes that this proves the “safety of the referral process.”
The Ministry of Health also highlights that “after the patient’s admission, the delay to be seen for the first time by a doctor does not exceed 10 minutes.”
Nearly 200 nursing consultations and 60 diagnostic tests were performed, including blood tests, X-rays, and electrocardiograms.
The president of ULS Santa Maria, Carlos Neves Martins, states, “This is another response that aims, on one hand, to avoid inadequate waiting times, and on the other, to prevent inappropriate access to our central emergency department, which is highly specialized and prepared for emergencies, as required and imposed on a university hospital.”
The CAC opened on the first day of August and operates between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
