Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 32

FEATURE INTERMEDIATE CARE
Various models of social work input have been
tried, with the final model currently being dedicated
social workers who now work only within the
intermediate care teams to support the rapid
assessment and provision of care.
This is an integral part of the service to ensure the
discharge process from the intermediate care teams
occurs in a timely fashion.
placements for hospital discharge and anticipated
growth in the demographics of the main user group –
that is, frail elderly people.
A therapies wing will provide a generic space for
individual and group reablement sessions and provide
closed areas for consultation rooms, a therapies office
and store.
The generic therapies area will be used by
physiotherapists, occupational therapists and
The future
reablement practitioners.
This service is now considered to be a success and
Within the therapies wing there is a plan to develop
an essential part of the step down/step up
an Independent Living Centre, which will provide
offer of beds in the
community accessible therapy services,
locality. The plan is to
allowing individuals to gain the skills to
build on this work with
remain living independently in the
This
service
is
the development of a
community.
now considered to
40-bed intermediate
The centre will also provide a
care centre, which will
base
for the existing community
be a success and an
‘‘
provide an organised,
reablement team to assist with
essential part of the step
holistic, time limited
facilitating the pathway home
down/step
up
offer
programme of intensive
for residential clients and provide
therapy-led, supportive
continuity
for community-based
of beds in the
and facilitating care to
clients.
locality.
individuals in a specialist
The team continues to work in
residential setting.
collaboration with multiple agencies and
Residents will be assisted and
have streamlined therapeutic approaches,
enabled to achieve and maintain an
policies and procedures to ensure that individuals
optimum level of health and mobility where the focus
are admitted to the service in a timely fashion, while
is on promoting independence and returning home.
providing high-quality reablement that then gives
The number of beds has been identified on the
people the skills to return to the community location of
basis of current provision and
their choice.
associated demand, current
With the arrival of the new centre the team expects
usage of
that the service will continue to be an integral part of
additional
an individual’s journey towards independence.
short-term
Mark Coates, Pathways to Independence Lead,
Redcar and Cleveland Borough
Council and Pippa Dodsworth,
senior occupational therapist. Email:
[e-mail]
or visit: www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
32 OTnews February 2019
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