Page 16 - Community Health magazine - issue 38

Centres of excellence:

A new way forward

Pilot to help people get home from hospital sooner this winter

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

s part of a national NHS England pilot, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation
Trust is working with partners to modernise how it delivers rehab in its hospitals
Aand supports people to get home, using the latest clinical evidence.
Evidence shows people recover faster and maximise their independence if they take
a more active role in their recovery. The ambition is to improve the care for people by
increasing therapy to seven-days-a week and delivering more joined-up care – with
nursing, therapy, social care and voluntary sector partners working as one team.
Building on the learning from our 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, Tenterden.
At Westbrook House and West View House, colleagues from Kent County Council
are based in the same building, allowing more seamless working between the NHS
and social care.
We want to work more closely with our colleagues in social care, so we can
provide the right support for people when they are ready to go home, continuing
their rehabilitation in a familiar environment.

There is a communal dining area outside
Our community Right environment their door with space for them to meet,
hospitals for rehab eat and socialise with other patients on
the ward.
They have a bright and airy day room with
People from all over Kent are usually aving the right environment is really plenty of space for activities and of course,
admitted to our wards after spending important if we are able to maximise large and well-equipped gyms where they
some time in an acute hospital. Hpeople’s recovery.
At Westbrook House, we have a stroke can work on strengthening their muscles
Community or cottage hospitals provide: and re-learning everyday activities, under
rehabilitation unit where every patient
• general rehabilitation, often for has plenty of space around their bed for the care of our therapy teams.
people who are frail and elderly visitors, or for our therapy teams to work. At our newly-refurbished ward at the
Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Herne
• specialist rehabilitation, for people Bay, there’s a therapy kitchen, where
who have had strokes or broken hips patients can practice tasks like making a
• sub-acute care, for people who still cup of tea or cooking a small meal so they
need treatment after being in an are more able to cope when they get home,
acute hospital. under the watchful eye of an occupational
therapist or therapy assistant.
FACT: Rewarding careers
Half our buildings
pre-date the birth of ur teams are amazing and strive
the NHS in 1948. to provide excellent patient care in
Oeverything they do, but there are
national workforce shortages and we often
struggle to recruit qualified staff.

16 www.kentcht.nhs.uk