Rehabilitation In-reach Project Underway
12/09/2006
A pilot In-Reach Project is now underway at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals to support patients with rehabilitation needs to leave hospital more quickly.
Two multi-disciplinary In-reach teams made up of nursing, occupational therapy and social care staff are working with the existing discharge assessment team (DAT) to identify patients who could receive services in community facilities and in their own home.
Associate Director for Older People’s Services at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust, Jill Kearsley, said:
“This is an important pilot aimed at improving
the patient experience and at the same time achieving better value for every
pound spent on healthcare. It aims to improve the current system by ensuring
that all patients receive rehabilitation care in the most appropriate place
to meet their needs.”
“This reflects the changing NHS and means that a greater number of patients
can now receive high quality services in the community and leave hospital more
quickly than they may have done in the past.”
“Bringing together health and social care staff with different skills to work as a team and with the patient to identify and agree the most appropriate services to meet their needs makes perfect sense and I’m sure the pilot will be a great success.”
Mrs Kathleen Hughes was admitted to Cheltenham General Hospital after a fall at her home and with help from the In-reach team was this week transferred to Ashley Intermediate Care Centre for on-going rehabilitation.
Kathleen Hughes from Cheltenham said:
“I’m delighted with the outcome. I have heard a lot of good things about Ashley Intermediate Care Centre and was very happy with the arrangements that were made for me and the care I received.”
Kathleen will receive the necessary care and support to help her to return home in due course.
The In-Reach project will be piloted until March 2007. The NHS locally will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the project.
