A new approach to rehabilitation and recovery in our community hospitals

A new approach to delivering rehabilitation and recovery will be piloted in two east Kent hospitals this winter, to get people home sooner.

As part of a national NHS England pilot, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) is working with partners to modernise how we deliver rehab in community hospitals.

Evidence shows people recover sooner and maximise their independence if they take a more active role in their recovery. The ambition is to improve care by increasing therapy in community hospitals to seven-days-a week and delivering more joined-up services – with nursing, therapy, doctors, pharmacy, social care and voluntary sector partners working as one team.

Building on the learning from a new stroke unit, which opened in July, KCHFT will run the pilot with Kent County Council, in Westbrook House in Margate and West View Integrated Care Centre in Tenterden.

KCHFT Chief Nurse Dr Mercia Spare said: “We know too often people end up in a hospital bed when they don’t need to be – or stay there too long – which can impact their ability to regain their independence.

“Our community hospitals do an amazing job of caring for people, but we need to modernise our approach, focus on what really matters to our patients and make sure everybody has the same chance to live an independent life.

“People shouldn’t think about recovering tucked up in bed. You will recover much quicker if you are up, dressed and moving about and also, much quicker if you are at home, in a familiar environment – which is where we know people want to be.”

Barbara Rickman, Assistant Director for Enablement and Support Services at Kent County Council, said: “More joined-up working between health and social care is vital. Social care is there to support people to stay out of hospital, but also if they’ve been in hospital we can support them to go home safely by assessing their long-term plans and care needs.

“The voluntary sector is also vitally important, along with our developing micro enterprises, which can support people with shopping, hobbies or just meeting people and staying connected within their communities when they get home from hospital. All of these contribute to keeping people active and independent for as long as possible."

Rachel Dalton, KCHFT’s new Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, said: “This is the start of a conversation to develop centres of excellence for rehabilitation that consistently deliver better patient outcomes, rewarding careers that attract and retain colleagues and a sustainable model for the future.

“We want to hear what improvements our patients and carers would like to see so we can co-design a more joined-up way of delivering seven-day therapy, with social care, in east Kent this winter.

“By testing this approach, we will be able to see if it truly works for patients and carers, improves the flow through our acute and community hospitals, and gets people back home sooner, feeling more confident and needing less support to get back to their living their life.”

Community hospital wards in Kent provide general rehabilitation for people who are frail or older, specialist rehabilitation for people recovering from a stroke or broken hip, and also treatment for people who still need care after being in an acute hospital.

In July, KCHFT opened a new 15-bed stroke ward in Westbrook House that is already delivering seven-day therapy. It is hoped learning from the stroke unit, the winter pilot and the feedback from patients, carers and the public will help to develop a more sustainable model for the future.

Your experience can help us

Have you or someone you care for had care in our community hospitals in the past two years? We’re looking for people to be part of our patient experience group, which will help us to better understand how we can support effective rehabilitation and recovery in on our community hospitals. Please email kentchft.engagement@nhs.net to express your interest and find out more.