Psychosocial Helplines and “Sociolances” – means to reduce call volume? How to strengthen the ties between EMS and Social Services

Description: Psychosocial Hotlines and “Sociolances” – means to reduce call volume? How to strengthen the ties between EMS and Social Services
Patients with problems like alcohol or drug abuse, psychiatric illnesses or homelessness trigger a large of number of responses.
For EMS dispatch there are means to screen and refer some callers to alternative psychosocial or social work helplines. This is a highly complex process were clearing skills from social work need to be utilized. Most systems sent an ambulance in any case and release, if possible, on scene. Some refer to other resources, such as community response teams. In most places alternative resources are present, but the links between EMS and social services are underdeveloped. A few services use “Sociolances” - combined units with social workers presenting the “Socio” part and paramedics the (Ambu)”lance” part. They are dispatched as a primary response unit. The presentation provides an overview about different models. Call triage, clearing processes, response indications and intervention strategies will be presented on a planning and strategy level as well as on a case level.