8:10pm Wednesday 31st August 2011
STROKE patients are to be sent home from hospital earlier in Colchester and Tendring in a bid to improve care and cut bed blocking.
From Monday, Colchester’s hospital trust will be encouraged to discharge mild to moderate stroke patients quicker by offering a new service.
The scheme, called “early supported discharge”, provides rehabilitation at home, rather than in hospital.
It is said to achieve better results for some patients, as well as cutting pressure on hospital beds.
A report by healthcare watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, in January criticised health trusts for not moving quicker to implement the service.
Colchester’s trust will get a cash reward if it refers 380 people to the scheme by the end of next May.
Brenda Lambert, from West Mersea, ran Colchester Wayfinders’ Stroke Club after her husband, Michael, suffered a stroke four years ago. Mr Lambert was in hospital for five months.
Mrs Lambert said support was the most important factor whether patients were sent home early or spent longer in hospital.
She said: “I think early discharge is a shame. It’s something forced upon hospitals today.
“But I’m quite sure they would not send someone home if they were not able to cope and did not have a nucleus of support. That would be a horrendous mistake.
“We have always said people need more help when they come out of hospital.
“The support was there, but it could take a heck of a long time to get to you.”
The new service will be managed by community healthcare provider, Anglian Community Enterprise. Patients discharged early will be visited at home by nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, stroke consultants, dieticians and social workers.
Nicola Caslin, head of allied health professionals (adult) at Anglian Community Enterprise, said: “It is widely recognised most people recover from a stroke more effectively in their home environment than in hospital.
“This early supported discharge service will involve everyone working closely together to identify those patients who will benefit from the initiative.
“The team will work closely with consultants on the stroke units at Colchester General Hospital and Kate Grant Ward at Clacton District Hospital to prepare rehab programmes specific to individuals’ needs.”
The service will operate five days a week.
The number of home visits by therapists will vary from patient to patient.
Ms Caslin said: “We are looking to reduce a stroke survivor’s length of stay in hospital and reach their recovery potential more quickly.”
In 2010, Colchester’s hospital trust and community groups voiced concerns about a lack of support to enable stroke patients to leave wards and return home.
But bosses at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said in July they believed they could hit the target set by primary care trust NHS North East Essex.
Dr Linda Mahon-Daly, GP adviser to NHS North East Essex, said: “This represents a huge improvement in rehabilitation services for patients and their families, enabling them to make the best possible recovery.
“It is the culmination of much hard work by health professionals and the voluntary sectors during the past two years.”