Extra support for NHS patients in Coventry
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has taken on 16 new support workers to strengthen its Intermediate Care team, to help people avoid spells of care in hospital.
The support workers will work within a wider nursing and therapy team, carrying out frontline patient care, freeing nurses to see a larger number of patients so they can deliver more care to people outside of hospital.
The roles include providing support to patients discharged from hospital and those who need support to stay in their own home to be independent and active as possible.
The idea is to enable people to undertake everyday tasks for themselves, retain their independence and so preventing hospital admission, or helping make people’s hospital stays shorter.
Recruitment of the new team is complete, and the first of the staff have started in their new roles, with others coming into post in the next few weeks.
Veronica Ford, Associate Director for Community Health and Wellbeing Services at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, explained: “This is an exciting development for us, as it strengthens the NHS services available for people living in Coventry. We know we need to do more to provide short term support to enable patients to manage when they are at home.
“These roles aim to support smoother and faster discharge from hospital. Many patients may be fit and well to return home so long as they are supported by visits throughout the day and offered support to develop confidence to undertake tasks independently at home.
“With all the current pressures on our hospitals, the more people we can support to stay well, independent and able at home following discharge or to avoid admission the greater the impact on the health economy. This is better for patients too, as they would rather complete their recovery at home than have to stay in hospital for longer.”
The initiative has meant new investment in local care services by the Partnership Trust, funded by Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Groups.