“Care Closer to Home” – competition finalist

Photo shows four key members of the team alongside a resident at Woodside House who agreed to pose for the picture although he had not been cared for in the bed. From left to right: Tracey Burt (Care Home Manager), Kevin Harris (Nurse), Mr Edgar Stone (resident), Anne Stairs (Lead Nurse) Wendy Hardicker (NHS Norfolk)

A pioneering new way of caring for older or more frail people was a finalist in a prestigious award ceremony this week.

The Care Closer to Home project centres around the Thorpewood Medical Group, Woodside House Care Home in Norwich and Social Services. And its results speak for itself – improved care for patients and reducing the number of hospital admissions.

The Project offers Thorpewood Medical Group patients increased medical support in their own homes. Those requiring increased intervention, which ordinarily might result in hospital admission, have instead been admitted to an “Acute Community Bed” at Woodside House Care Home.

Here they are given the same type of care they would expect in hospital, but closer to home.

The project is Nurse-led with GP support and the day-to-day care is administered by Woodside House Nursing Home staff.

The outcomes for the Thorpewood Practice are dramatic so far:

* Hospital admissions down by 16%

* Recovery times significantly reduced and patient satisfaction excellent

* More than 30 patients admitted into the community bed, instead of admission to hospital

* A further 9 admission to hospital were averted by increasing support in the patients’ own homes.

Anne Stairs, Primary Care Nurse Specialist at Thorpewood Medical Group, said: “The acute community bed project has greatly improved the patient experience, resulting in acute medical care closer to the patient’s home.


“The project has also forged greater links with both Social Services, Woodside House and Thorpewood Medical Group, enabling better communication between all parties, which ultimately enhances patient care.”

Mike Parsons, Chief Executive of Barchester Healthcare, which runs Woodside House, said: “At Barchester we are proud to provide high quality care to our residents and this is a great example of working in partnership to provide better quality outcomes in the community. It’s been so successful that we are now looking at doing this in other parts of the country.”

The Care Closer to Home project was entered into the NHS East of England Health and Social Care Awards by NHS Norfolk, which has helped co-ordinate the project.

Whilst, it was pipped to the post by another entry from Cambridgeshire, NHS Norfolk’s Assistant Director of Out of Hospital Care, Wendy Hardicker said: “The clinicians and other partners in this project should be rightly proud of what has already been achieved.”

Ask Your Pharmacist Week 8-14 November
Help in the heart of your community

Your pharmacist does more than just dispense prescriptions.

That is the message from NHS Norfolk during Ask Your Pharmacist Week (8–14 November), reminding people of the many services offered by their local pharmacist.

Ian Small, deputy head of prescribing and medicines management at NHS Norfolk, said: “Your pharmacist is a highly skilled professional who has undergone very intensive training. They are a great source of friendly help and advice.

“Pharmacists don’t just dispense prescriptions – they can answer many questions on your health, such as disease prevention and nutrition, what your medicine is for, how you should use it and its side-effects. Many pharmacists now offer support programmes for giving up smoking or losing weight and can provide information on sexual health and contraception.

“Your pharmacist is the person to ask if you have a minor injury or illness. Many pharmacies are open seven days a week and are often a more convenient alternative to making an appointment with your GP.”

There are more than 119 community pharmacies across NHS Norfolk’s area.

Pharmacy opening times can be found at www.norfolk.nhs.uk, on the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk, or you can call NHS Direct for details of pharmacy services available in your area on 0845 46 47.

For more details on Ask Your Pharmacist Week, visit: www.askyourpharmacist.co.uk



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