Let's get you home
Kenneth Lawrence
Toasting in the new year of 2025, former electrical engineer Kenneth Lawrence, 80, was looking forward to good health and happiness.
But the moment his glass chinked with his three sons and wife Pat, he felt a hot sensation all over and felt very strange. The rest is a blur of blue lights and hospital beds at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, where he stayed for 18 days, with a mysterious condition affecting his bowels and kidneys.
Ken, from Ashford, said: “I’d just toasted ‘to good health’ and down I went, but even though we joked about it, it took three weeks before I started to feel better. When the physiotherapist came over to my bay and asked me to stand up – well, I couldn’t.”
When Ken was told he was fit to go home, he was relieved, but also concerned. He said: “How would Pat possibly care for me alone? She’s in her late 70s and not strong enough to lift me out of bed. She’s the love of my life, my first thought is always her.”
At this point Home First – a new joint service from the NHS and Kent County Council, which supports patients in their own homes to recover their independence – swooped in, led by Home First Assessor Rills Mukwelle.
Home First assessors evaluate individual patient needs, coordinate care services and try to create a smooth transition from hospital to support recovery, by visiting people at home and building a care plan to help them rehabilitate safely.
Rills reflected: “Ken and I immediately had a good rapport. He wanted things to be explained clearly every step of the way, so that’s what we did. He’s clever and methodical – having worked as an electrical engineer at Dungeness Power Station – he wants to know our plan and the reasons behind it.
“We also worked hard to develop personal goals. For Ken, this was to walk with a walking stick. At Home First, we know that setting personal goals is a proven successful method in recovery.
“Ken had a rough few weeks, so we also listened. He was anxious at the thought of having people in his home, but he came to understand the value of it and the pressure that it would ease on Pat.
Rills Mukwelle is a Home First Assessor
“The best package for Ken was to have two support workers in at a time to help him with washing, toileting and dressing. We ordered a bed to temporarily go in his living room and a rail to help him stand. Ken was grateful and you could see the impact our support had on the family.”
Ken remembered: “They were always upbeat, coming in with a smile and a laugh, lifting us when we felt low. It was an upheaval not being able to get out like I used to, it could make us all feel stressed.
“Of course, they got me dressed and washed, but they provided much more – always asking Pat what she might need, help with the dinner or making a cup of tea.”
Pat added: “I am a really independent person and I’ve always looked after myself and Ken. It was really hard to hand over the reins and allow people into our home. But, I couldn’t have asked for more from the team. We ended up actually looking forward to the visits.”
Ken and Pat are now happy to say that they have sent back the bed and no longer need Home First support.
They have invested in a lift and Ken is back sleeping in his own bed upstairs. He can now walk with a walking stick, as planned, after having some physiotherapy sessions at home.
“I’ve even got a woodwork workshop in the garden,” said Ken. “I have treated myself to a wood turner, which I am going to show my grandsons how to use.”
Rills said: Leaving the hospital can feel like the lowest point for many, and they rely on us for support. Helping them regain their independence is incredibly rewarding."
Why do we need a service like Home First?
Anna Kitchingham, Assistant Director for Rehabilitation and Therapies, said:
“Moving people out of hospital as soon as it is safe to do so is not only better for their health, but also frees up beds in our hospitals for those who need them.
“Home First is a health and social care service provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust and Kent County Council in east Kent, which supports people to leave hospital as soon as they are well enough by visiting the patient the day they are discharged and assessing what help they need to complete their recovery at home.
“Putting this innovative service in place has reduced the number of days these patients are spending in hospital from 22 to 12 days and has seen a 20 per cent improvement in the number of people regaining their independence once they return home from hospital.
“The service is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team made up of assessors, support workers, administrators and team leads who work with community nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, reablement teams, social workers and voluntary sector partners.
“We are now looking at how we expand this service across west Kent.”
Find out more:
www.kentcht.nhs.uk/homefirst
