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Abstract
Following a period of sustained pressure on our local healthcare system, the gauntlet was thrown down from commissioners to the hospice to expedite discharges by providing care at home.
Our hospice, at the heart of the community, renowned for breaking barriers and a positive approach, rose to the challenge of this six-month pilot project.
We rapidly reorganised our community team to release their community support workers to form a team and recruited to expand the workforce.
This newly formed team received a week’s robust training in preparation for our crusade to get people home from an inpatient setting.
We met with commissioners and local care providers to plan in partnership how we would work.
Aims of the project
To respond to local need by developing a reactive workforce to deliver flexible, high quality personal and health care to support people at the end of their life
Enable rapid response discharges by accepting fast track care requests from Continuing Healthcare within 1.5 hours and commencing care within four hours
Preventing admissions and decreasing the need for use of acute care by providing and sustaining care at home
Increase the number of people who choose to live and die in their own homes.
Results
100% of referrals were accepted within 1.5 hours
100% of these referrals received care within four hours
100% of these patients died in their preferred place of care
We have met the needs of 56% of all fast track care requests.
18% were in partnership with local care providers.
The evidence from the quality survey completed by families, has demonstrated nothing but positive feedback to the excellent responsiveness of the service delivery.
Conclusion It is the intention of the Hospice to continue and expand this service
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