12 December 2017
Every day in east Kent, 100 patients are now receiving care at home who would normally have stayed in hospital, thanks to Home First.
The new approach aims to make sure every patient who no longer needs hospital care, but still needs support, can continue their recovery safely at home.
Under Home First, hospital staff work closely with colleagues in the community and in social care to plan for a patient to return home from the first day they arrive.
On discharge, Home First teams are triggered into action to make sure the right support is in place. Patients are met at home within hours and during the next couple of days are assessed by a Home First Team, made up of community nurses, therapists and social care professionals. Every patient has a plan for them and this may include therapy, goals, support for carers, any equipment they may need and self-help advice.
Lesley Strong, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “When you are really sick, hospital is the best place you can be, but once you no longer need hospital care, you recover much faster at home.
“The longer someone spends in a hospital bed, the more muscle they lose and the weaker they can become – which makes it harder for them to regain their independence. So, as soon as they no longer need hospital care, we want to get them home.
“For patients who need short-term support, we know that assessing them in their own environment is best to see how they are coping and what extra support they might need.
“This could mean anything from physiotherapy, arranging grab rails and commodes to designing activities to help enhance their independence and get back to doing what they love.”
Home First relies on Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Kent County Council working closely together, as well as involving our voluntary and community sector partners more effectively.
As well as being better for patients to recover, the scheme is just one way the NHS and social care is working together to make sure the hospitals bed are used by people who really need them.
Jane Ely, Chief Operating Officer at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know that leaving hospital can sometimes be unsettling, but most people want to get home to family, friends and loved ones as soon as possible - and this is better for their recovery.
“The scheme is providing people with more support to leave hospital than ever before and means our hospitals are free to treat the sickest people who need us most."
