A new initiative is underway to help increase capacity, reduce delays and improve the experience of patients across Forth Valley.

Your Home First, brings together and builds on a wide range of work being taken forward by local health and care services to support more people in their own homes and local communities to avoid the need for them to attend or be admitted to hospital. It aims to ensure that anyone who does require inpatient care is able to return to their own home as soon as they are well enough, without experiencing any delays.

Wherever possible, it also aims to prevent situations where people are transferred straight from hospital to a care home as, with the right care and support, most people can return to their own home first. This ensures any follow up assessments or rehabilitation support can be provided in the comfort and familiarity of a person’s own home which, in many cases, may result in them being able to stay at home.

 

Dr Karen Adamson, Associate Medical Director for Unscheduled Care in NHS Forth Valley, said: “We recognise that sometimes people need to attend hospital for tests and treatment, however, most people want to stay at home if they can and receive care in the comfort of their own home or local community. This also avoids the need to travel to hospital where you may have to wait to be seen in a noisier and more stressful environment.

“We also know that hospitals are not the best place to be once you’re well enough to go home as staying in hospital for longer than clinically necessary can have a big impact on your health and wellbeing. For example, it can reduce your independence, fitness and muscle strength and increase your risk of infection. Getting back to your own home and being able to sleep in your own bed also helps you get back into your usual routine.”

A wide range of work is already underway to support a Your Home First Approach. This includes the development of more joined up and coordinated services in local communities, particularly for frail, older people. New ‘Call Before You Convey’ arrangements have also been put in place with the Scottish Ambulance Service. This enables paramedics to speak direct to local consultants based at Forth Valley Royal Hospital for advice which could avoid the need for patients to be taken to hospital.

A review of arrangements for assessing patients when they attend hospital or are referred by their GP is also underway to increase the use of the Urgent Care Centre and help reduce overcrowding in the Emergency Department, building on the Right Care Right Place approach to help people access healthcare advice and treatment in the right place, as quickly as possible.

Efforts to improve the way hospital discharges are planned and coordinated in a more consistent way throughout the week, including at weekends, are also being implemented to help free up capacity and reduce delays. This includes ensuring every patient admitted to hospital has a planned date of discharge and every ward has arrangements in place to discharge patients who no longer require medical care on a daily basis, working closely with community teams to arrange follow up support, if required.