Home First LogoIn Staffordshire, the national approach to Discharge to Assess (D2A) is referred to as ‘Home First’. Hundreds of people across Staffordshire are now receiving care at home who would normally have stayed in hospital, thanks to NHS Home First teams.

Some people may not need any help when they get home following a hospital discharge, but for those who do, the team will make sure that the right support is in place. We also know that it is best for people’s health and well-being to be treated away from hospital, ideally in their own home, when medically safe to do so. 

People are assessed at home within hours and receive an assessment by a NHS Home First team, made up of nurses, therapists and care and support workers. The care plan will include rehabilitation goals, support for carers, and any equipment which may be needed along with self-help advice. Some people have complex needs and may require longer-term care. The NHS Home First team carries out robust assessments, before coming to a decision, with the person and their families, to determine their long term plan of care.

  • Support people to leave hospital earlier (if they are well enough to do so and the support and care they need can be carried out at home)
  • Support people so they don’t need to go to hospital

The NHS Home First team provides short term support to assess and ensure that the person is transferred to the most appropriate services to meet there long term needs.

All patients are given a four hour time slot and call times are prioritised dependent on a patient’s individual health need e.g. time of medication, continence issues, end of life or palliative care. The Home First team work in partnership to prioritise care calls and wherever possible the service will always endeavor to meet people’s individual care preferences.

As a person recovers the care calls will be gradually reduced or stopped once a person is assessed and deemed as being independent or may have met their physical potential. If a person still requires care calls then they will be referred for a social care assessment to develop the most suitable long term domiciliary package of care, and a financial eligibility assessment is carried out to determine the cost that a person is required to pay for their long term domiciliary care plan. 

If people are worried, or have any questions about Home First, they can speak to a member of staff to find out more about the service.

 

 

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