Enhanced Community Support model improving healthcare in Angus

MONDAY, 14 AUGUST, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Enhanced Community Support model improving healthcare in Angus

The Enhanced Community Support model of care has been rolled out in North East Angus.

The Enhanced Community Support (ECS) model of care was initially introduced in South Angus in 2015 and involves a variety of professionals including GPs, district nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, pharmacists, specialist hospital doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and voluntary sector colleagues working together as a single team to support individual patients.

The team provides anticipatory care and support in patients’ own homes and, where possible, avoids hospital admissions enabling people to live independently for as long as possible. It also builds coordinated care for patients though multidisciplinary team working.

Ann Bowdler, District Nurse Locality Lead for the North East said, “Through partnership working, ECS is helping people to remain safely at home in their preferred place of care.

“This approach is allowing the multidisciplinary team to deliver a safe, effective and holistic assessment, tailoring individualised care to community patients in their home setting.”

Gail Smith, Head of Community Health and Care Services with Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, said, “With the ECS model, care is coordinated throughout the patient’s experience from home to hospital and back again.

“If a patient has to be admitted to hospital, our Medicine for the Elderly team and Angus discharge coordinators in Ninewells help to coordinate care and make follow up arrangements once the patient is home. This reduces the time the patient needs to stay in hospital and supports discharge arrangements.

“The ECS approach has meant that we have seen a significant decrease in the need for inpatient beds and services traditionally provided in a community hospital setting in South Angus. Clinicians have seen benefits from this new approach for patients and so we have extended it to the North East area of Angus.


“Redesigning services in this way is crucial to managing current and future increases in the number of older people living with long-term conditions in Angus.”

ENDS

Contact:

NHS Tayside Communications

01382 424138

communications.tayside@nhs.net

14 August 2017