Scheme to help hospital patients home wins new funding

The Community Home First service, which helps medically fit people get out of hospital and back home, has secured its expansion with new funding.

Community Home First officially launched at the Countess of Chester Hospital in January this year following a pilot scheme. Its latest round of funding includes £300,000 from the NHS, with match-funding of around £200,000 from partners including Cheshire West and Chester and an additional £50,000 grant from the Postcode Community Trust.

Cheshire Community Action leads the delivery of Community Home First, working with a network of partner organisations across Cheshire West and Chester. Its community connector staff are based at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Leighton Hospital in Crewe, where they work with people who are well enough to leave but have practical problems delaying discharge.

Mark Reading, Chief Executive of Cheshire Community Action, said:

“Community Home First has been really effective in providing a joined-up service that helps patients when they’re ready to leave the hospital and freeing up hospital beds, as well as arranging support at home to prevent readmission.

“Our community connectors tackle various issues to smooth patients’ transition from hospital to home. Practical problems such as lost house keys, problems with the electricity supply at home, a lack of food in the house or inability to access an upstairs bedroom can all prevent discharge. Concerns about arranging transport for outpatient appointments where there is no family support available is another typical problem that community connectors can help address.

“We’re so pleased to gain further financial support for the service, which already has an impressive forecasted social return for 2024, including a reduction of 3078 overnight stays in hospital and a net service value of £1,208,000.

“We’ll be using the initiative's new funding immediately to increase service capacity with an additional staff member at the Countess of Chester. We’re also planning to pilot discharge support with mental health patients.”

Community Home First’s partners include local social enterprise Snow Angels, which offers six weeks of support at home after discharge for selected older patients, including check-ins, shopping and prescription drop-offs. Age UK Cheshire provides dedicated home visits to newly discharged patients needing more holistic and comprehensive support to assist their recovery and independence. Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust gives specialist support to carers who have been in hospital themselves. Healthbox CIC is also supporting people in the home with strength and balancing training as well as other guidance on healthy lifestyles.

You can find out more about Community Home First at:  

https://cheshireaction.org.uk/community-homes-first-hospital-discharge/

About Cheshire Community Action

Established in 1930, Cheshire Community Action (CCA) is a registered charity working through Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington. Originally founded to support rural communities, in recent years the organisation has branched out to provide services in larger towns and suburbs.

CCA is an independent organisation and a member of Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). Its mission is to give Cheshire communities a stronger voice through engagement and supporting them to influence the places, spaces and services that are important to them.

Pictured - Community connectors Lucy Okell (left) and Margaret Williams at the Countess of Chester Hospital.