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Scores of older people each year are set to benefit from a pioneering venture between Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and Herefordshire Council.
Older people who do not need medical care but are not ready to return home after hospital treatment are now spending up to six weeks at a unique “reablement” centre in Hereford.
This Centre supports the appropriate use of acute hospital beds for those who need the specialist care which can only be provided in Hereford County Hospital.
The Hillside Centre, which is based on the site of the former Hillside Care Home, gives patients who do not need a hospital bed for medical reasons the opportunity to undergo intensive reablement to prepare them to live as independently as possible.
The Centre also offers those who, in the past, might have needed a hospital bed, the opportunity to undergo this intensive reablement without a stay in hospital.
“This will obviously vary from person to person, but we’ve found that since the Hillside Centre began taking people late last year, the vast majority have exceeded our expectations and returned to their own homes,” said Sue Fiennes, Herefordshire Council’s Director of Social Care and Strategic Housing.
“The centre is a flagship of partnership working between a Primary Care Trust and a local authority and is being monitored nationally,” added Sue.
The centre of excellence for intermediate care has been created in the former Hillside Care Home. An early venture into reablement – the award-winning eight-bed unit at Orchard House – has now combined with the Hillside Centre to provide the new 22-bed facility at Hillside.
Herefordshire Primary Care Trust runs and manages the centre on behalf of both the PCT and Herefordshire Council.
The Council provided the property-related project management to alter the original care home into the new facility.
“This was managed on time and within budget, which means that we’ve gone from a care home to this new facility in a little over 12 months,” said Cllr Olwyn Barnett, Cabinet Member (Social Care and Strategic Housing).
“I’m pleased to see the progress that older people are making from using this service,” she added.
“We’ve had amazing support from the locality – neighbours overlooking the centre have put up with a year of building and we’d like to formally thank them for putting up with us during this period of construction,” added Cllr Barnett.
Since the centre opened its doors to the first people in November last year, a total of 98 people have received service.
“Patients can stay for up to six weeks. During this time a multi-disciplinary team which includes social and health care reablement staff ensure patients have all the support they need to regain skills to allow them to live as independently as possible,” said Trish Jay, Director of Operations and Lead Executive Nurse, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.
The average length of stay so far has been about two weeks,” added Sue Doheny, Intermediate Care Manager, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.
However, once the patients leave the centre, that’s not the end of the support they receive.
“An outreach team attached to the Hillside Centre has nurses, therapists and reablement assistants. They provide a wide range of health and social care related rehabilitation activities in individuals’ homes,” added Sue.
The conversion of the care home into the new reablement centre cost £1.8 million, and the annual budget is £1,016,000. Herefordshire Council makes an annual contribution of £360,000 towards the running costs.
The unit consists of three distinct areas, which are called pods, and which have been named after three traditional Herefordshire apples – Foxwhelp, Taylors Sweet and Yarrington Mill..A small courtyard which will be used as part of the reablement process – it will include such things as ramps and steps to assess how well patients are recovering – has been named after the late Dr Robin Andrews, who was a well known and respected GP in the City and a Councillor on Herefordshire Council.
His wife, Cllr Polly Andrews, will be at the opening.
During the official opening of the Hillside Centre, Cllr Peter Harling, Chairman of Herefordshire Council, will cut the ribbon.
Presentations will also be made to three youngsters from nearby Marlbrook Primary School.
Youngsters at the school were challenged to come up with eye-catching designs for a “get well” poster which will go on display in the Centre.
The three winners are Scarlett Pritchard (Reception Class), Lucy Broom (Years 3 and 4) and Brogan Gough (Years 5 and 6)
The Hillside Centre's official opening
Scores of older people each year are set to benefit from a pioneering venture between Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and Herefordshire Council.
Older people who do not need medical care but are not ready to return home after hospital treatment are now spending up to six weeks at a unique “reablement” centre in Hereford.
This Centre supports the appropriate use of acute hospital beds for those who need the specialist care which can only be provided in Hereford County Hospital.
The Hillside Centre, which is based on the site of the former Hillside Care Home, gives patients who do not need a hospital bed for medical reasons the opportunity to undergo intensive reablement to prepare them to live as independently as possible.
The Centre also offers those who, in the past, might have needed a hospital bed, the opportunity to undergo this intensive reablement without a stay in hospital.
“This will obviously vary from person to person, but we’ve found that since the Hillside Centre began taking people late last year, the vast majority have exceeded our expectations and returned to their own homes,” said Sue Fiennes, Herefordshire Council’s Director of Social Care and Strategic Housing.
“The centre is a flagship of partnership working between a Primary Care Trust and a local authority and is being monitored nationally,” added Sue.
The centre of excellence for intermediate care has been created in the former Hillside Care Home. An early venture into reablement – the award-winning eight-bed unit at Orchard House – has now combined with the Hillside Centre to provide the new 22-bed facility at Hillside.
Herefordshire Primary Care Trust runs and manages the centre on behalf of both the PCT and Herefordshire Council.
The Council provided the property-related project management to alter the original care home into the new facility.
“This was managed on time and within budget, which means that we’ve gone from a care home to this new facility in a little over 12 months,” said Cllr Olwyn Barnett, Cabinet Member (Social Care and Strategic Housing).
“I’m pleased to see the progress that older people are making from using this service,” she added.
“We’ve had amazing support from the locality – neighbours overlooking the centre have put up with a year of building and we’d like to formally thank them for putting up with us during this period of construction,” added Cllr Barnett.
Since the centre opened its doors to the first people in November last year, a total of 98 people have received service.
“Patients can stay for up to six weeks. During this time a multi-disciplinary team which includes social and health care reablement staff ensure patients have all the support they need to regain skills to allow them to live as independently as possible,” said Trish Jay, Director of Operations and Lead Executive Nurse, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.
The average length of stay so far has been about two weeks,” added Sue Doheny, Intermediate Care Manager, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.
However, once the patients leave the centre, that’s not the end of the support they receive.
“An outreach team attached to the Hillside Centre has nurses, therapists and reablement assistants. They provide a wide range of health and social care related rehabilitation activities in individuals’ homes,” added Sue.
The conversion of the care home into the new reablement centre cost £1.8 million, and the annual budget is £1,016,000. Herefordshire Council makes an annual contribution of £360,000 towards the running costs.
The unit consists of three distinct areas, which are called pods, and which have been named after three traditional Herefordshire apples – Foxwhelp, Taylors Sweet and Yarrington Mill..A small courtyard which will be used as part of the reablement process – it will include such things as ramps and steps to assess how well patients are recovering – has been named after the late Dr Robin Andrews, who was a well known and respected GP in the City and a Councillor on Herefordshire Council.
His wife, Cllr Polly Andrews, will be at the opening.
During the official opening of the Hillside Centre, Cllr Peter Harling, Chairman of Herefordshire Council, will cut the ribbon.
Presentations will also be made to three youngsters from nearby Marlbrook Primary School.
Youngsters at the school were challenged to come up with eye-catching designs for a “get well” poster which will go on display in the Centre.
The three winners are Scarlett Pritchard (Reception Class), Lucy Broom (Years 3 and 4) and Brogan Gough (Years 5 and 6)