Integrated Community Ageing Team (ICAT)

Integrated Community Ageing Team (ICAT)

Main Address

  • Integrated Community Ageing Team (ICAT)
    15B Hornsey Street
    Lower Holloway
    Islington
  • N7 8GC
  • 020 7288 5326
The ICAT is a consultant-led multidisciplinary team (MDT) specialising in Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGA) for patients who are registered with an Islington GP. This is usually carried out in the patient’s own home, but ‘Hot Clinics’ are also offered at Whittington Hospital and at University College Hospital which may be more appropriate where further investigations such as x-rays are required. The ICAT geriatricians and specialist pharmacists also provide visits and support to patients in Care Homes in Islington.
 
The Team:
  • Consultant Geriatrician
  • GP with Specialist Interest in Geriatrics
  • 1 x Lead Nurse
  • 1 x Clinical Lead
  • 1 x Specialist Occupational Therapist
  • 2 x Specialist Physiotherapist (job share)
  • 2 x Specialist Pharmacists (job share)
  • 1 x Patient Pathway Co-ordinator (PPC)

Lead manager

Further Information

What is a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)
This is a patient-centred approach involving a co-ordinated process designed to determine a frail older person’s medical conditions, mental health, functional capacity and social circumstances.  From this, the team can formulate a clear plan for treatment, rehabilitation, support and long-term follow up.
  1. Overview Assessment: All team members are trained to complete a basic subjective assessment across all geriatric domains. This is to find out if there are particular problems that require more detailed and specialist assessments.
  2. Specialist Assessment: This is an in depth assessment by relevant members of the multidisciplinary team of issues identified from the overview assessment
  3. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: Brings together the overview and specialist assessments to generate a patient-centred plan. The patient’s GP and the referrer if requested will be informed of outcome of assessment.
Issues addressed:
  • Recurrent hospital admissions
  • Falls
  • Polypharmacy and medicines management
  • Decreased mobility
  • Continence issues
  • Increasing frailty
  • Cognitive decline
Who to refer to ICAT for a CGA:
Patients with a score of 3 or more on PRISMA 7 (see leaflet)
  • Usually aged 75 years or older although younger patients may be accepted if appropriate following discussion via the ICAT Hotline
  • Clients must be registered with an Islington GP
  • Referrals are accepted from any health professional as long as the patient’s GP is made aware of the referral and agrees that an ICAT referral is appropriate.
ICAT support to Islington Care Homes
The ICAT (Care Homes) consists of a Consultant Geriatrician and Specialist Pharmacists and aims to work with GPs and other community services to provide care for patients residing in care homes according to their wishes and needs.
Objectives
  • Improve communication between secondary care and primary care for patients in care homes
  • Maximise the number of days spent at home by reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and length of inpatient hospital stay
  • Work closely with care home staff and support their education and development
  • Work closely with allied GP practices to support ongoing professional development in complex geriatric case management
How to refer a patient to ICAT
  • GPs: via the ICAT referral form on EMIS
  • Email referral form (hyper link) to ICAT email address
  • For Hot Clinic referrals, please call the relevant Hotline as well as completing a referral form
For discussion of potential referrals, or to discuss complex cases and obtain advice from a consultant geriatrician, please call the consultant hotline. If a referral is indicated following discussion, the referrer will also need to send a referral by email or via EMIS.
Please note that faxed referrals are not accepted

ICAT Hotline
These numbers are held Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm by a consultant geriatrician.
ICAT office: 020 7288 5326
 
Clinical Lead for Care of Older People
Dr Ruth Law

ICAT Clinical Team
Karina Clapham, Lead Nurse
Jennifer Farren, Specialist Nurse
Christine Joyce, Specialist Physiotherapist
Caoimhe O’Reilly, Specialist Physiotherapist
Radha Shah, Specialist Pharmacist (Enhanced Health in Care Homes)
Clare Martin, Specialist Pharmacist
Pauleene Edwards, Patient Pathway Co-ordinator
ICAT Office
Monday to Friday
8am to 4pm

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Last updated24 Jun 2024
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