Case studies

NHS Newcastle Gateshead clinical commissioning group (CCG), was selected to be part of NHS England New Care Models Care Home Vanguard Programme. One of the initiatives to be introduced was the ‘transfer of care bag’, which sought to improve communication between hospital and care home teams when residents moved between both settings. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

Wirral has a large number of care homes and had a significant number of non-elective admissions from care home residents. It was a priority to ensure that care was provided in the patient’s place of residence wherever possible, as a non-elective admission can have a detrimental effect on frail older people. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

The objective of the project was to eliminate the barriers above and to implement the ethos of Home First due to recognising the importance and value of people being more likely to improve, adapt and recover in their own homes. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

Often due to pressures and trouble identifying someone at the home who could carry out assessments, it took up to a week for a home to visit. Lincolnshire introduced a care home trusted assessor role, which would not only enable assessments to be carried out more quickly, but would also help to develop relationships and trust across the system. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

‘Transforming our Communities’ was a consultation undertaken by Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby, and helped to provide a mandate for the local system to develop new models of care closer to home. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

To provide an equitable hospital discharge experience for residents whilst improving performance associated to delayed transfers, a bespoke Hospital Discharge Service was established in October 2017, with the use of iBCF monies to expand the council’s ‘discharge team’ located at the hospital where the greater number of admissions historically occurred. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

In 2014 East Surrey clinical commissioning group (CCG) embarked on a project to improve the medical care of residents of nursing and residential homes (care homes). East Surrey CCG has a significant number of Care Homes with a total of 1,800 beds across the geography. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

The hospital avoidance response team – HART – service is delivered by members of the Lincolnshire Independent Living Partnership and takes referrals from secondary care discharge hubs, A&E in-reach teams, the ambulance service, primary care and community health providers. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

In late 2017 the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) team began working on a project to improve pathways and access to TEC for those who were being discharged from hospital. The aim was to significantly increase the take-up of lifelines and telecare within a vulnerable cohort that would most benefit from them and ensure that people had access to the councils in house Reablement Enhanced Response Service (ERS). This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.

With the seven-day working strategy, Hertfordshire aimed to improve the flow from the acute into the community, ensuring discharges are not delayed over the weekend while service users wait for a package of care due to processes outside of the Monday to Friday norm. This example of a local initiative forms part of our managing transfers of care resource.