We want to hear your views
Services to keep you safe and well at home
Why am I better at home?
Many people are staying too long in a hospital bed, losing muscle and strength, when they would recover better at home.
People need time to rest and recover while they are in hospital, or when they are recovering at home following injury or illness.
But staying in bed or sitting still all day for longer than you need to, will not help you to recover in the long run.
Our aim is to improve care for people who need rehabilitation or urgent support at home and help people avoid going into hospital.
We also want to ease pressure on emergency departments and wards, so fewer patients are treated in busy wards, or even corridors.
What are we aiming to do?
We think we can do this by:
- providing more urgent, hospital-level care at home, so people can avoid A&E
- identifying people at risk early and supporting them to stay well at home, for longer
- helping patients to recover and return from hospital sooner
- supporting people to take a more active role in their own health and recovery.
Why do we need to talk about this now?
Hospitals are already under pressure, with high demand for beds.
We need to meet people’s needs both now and in the long term.
The population of Kent is changing.
There are 1.8 million people living in Kent at the moment, but this number is expected to rise by a quarter by 2031
The number of people who are frail, elderly or living with multiple and complex health conditions is rising, putting pressure on hospital services
Demand for frailty services and complex conditions is expected to increase by 30 per cent by 2030.
What’s wrong with staying in a hospital bed?
People need time to rest and recover while they are in hospital, or when they are recovering at home following injury or illness.
But staying in bed or sitting still all day for longer than they need to will not help them to recover in the long run.
Research shows people recover faster and are more likely to retain their independence, if they can be treated at home.
The majority of people don’t want to go to hospital, if it can be avoided.
We know around a third of people currently in hospital do not need acute treatment and could be discharged, if the right support was available.
We are now able to deliver many more hospital-level treatments in people’s homes than we could ten, or even five years ago.
Many people are staying too long in a hospital bed, losing muscle and strength, when they would recover better at home.
Some facts:
- Independently-living frail patients who are admitted to hospital are less likely to recover their mobility and more likely to need to move to a nursing home after discharge.
- Just one week in hospital can lead to 10 per cent less muscle strength, 25 per cent reduced circulation and a decline in dignity, confidence and independence.
- For patients over 80, 10 days of bed rest can lead to 10 years of muscle ageing.
- Deconditioning in hospital leads to delayed discharge in nearly half of older patients
- Half of frail older patients will have cognitive decline between admission and discharge
- Half of older people can become incontinent within 48 hours of admission.
- Even in community hospitals, patients are much more likely to become ‘institutionalised’ and are more susceptible to falls and hospital infections.
WATCH: This short film explains why deconditioning in hospital can lead to reduced independence:
What are we doing right now?
More urgent treatment for people at home
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we enhanced and improved NHS home treatment in Kent, as a way of keeping people out of hospital, at that time to reduce risk of infection.
Community teams found that people recovered more quickly at home, were happier and less at risk of infection. They were also less likely to decondition further and they regained their independence faster.
We began to expand the types of treatment people could receive at home and we now provide a full urgent response for frail elderly patients who don't want to be taken to hospital, if we can provide an alternative.
You can find out more by watching some of our films: Watch our Better at home videos.
Find out more about the range of treatments we can offer at home to people who need urgent care:
Beating the ambulance queues by working with partners
We also started working more closely with partners in the hospitals and with the ambulance service, helping to avoid hospital admission in the first place by ‘turning around’ frail elderly people in ambulance queues and treating them at home, where appropriate, or finding alternative help for them.
Patient choice is considered at all times, if the patient wishes to be treated in hospital they will be transferred.
Read about how we are keeping people at home:
Better at Home: How our Urgent Community Services transformed Paul’s recovery
Homeward bound
‘Secret’ NHS home treatment service helps thousands of people avoid hospital each year
At home, but not alone
Home First: Helping people get home from hospital sooner
Home First helps people at home with personal care, medication and signposting to community services, which could support them to live independently for longer.
Read more about Home First:
Let’s get you home
Home First case study: Lesley
Lesley, 76, had some complications following a knee replacement operation. She no longer needed acute care but had not regained her independence.
Instead of being transferred to a community hospital, Lesley was able to return straight home after, with support from Home First.
Support workers came to visit Lesley twice a day to help her with personal care, mealtimes and medications, with a focus on supporting her, to support herself. After 14 days Lesley was discharged from the service and is as independent as she had been before the operation.
Find out more about Lesley's experience:
Are we on the right track?
We really want to hear your views on what we are proposing.
You can fill in our short survey or send us an email: kentchft.engagement@nhs.net.
Or you can write to us:
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Communications and Engagement Team
Trinity House
110-120 Upper Pemberton
Eureka Park
Kennington
Ashford
Kent
TN25 4AZ