Reforming the acute phase of the inpatient journey.

The medical admissions unit (MAU) of the Royal Free Hospital, London, should receive all acute accident and emergency (A&E) medical admissions. The unit aims to discharge 60% of patients and to transfer the remainder to a base ward within 48 hours of admission. This study tracked the patient journey from admission to A&E through the MAU during two parallel weeks, one year apart.