No place like home

There’s no place like home and the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust’s priority is to get patients home as soon and as safely as possible following a stay in hospital.

Dr Tara Kearney, Director of Integration and Transformation at Salford Care Organisation, part of the Northern Care Alliance, said:

“Our Home First Salford programme aims to support our patients to safely return home and then to stay at home. This will lead to a better experience for our patients, and reduce overall demand on our services.”

Part of the programme includes the Home First Community Hub featuring a wide range of experts from all areas of health and social care, and the voluntary sector.

Dr Kearney said: “The Hub brings together teams from across the community who are united to help people get the support they need to stay well at home.” As soon as someone who may need extra support is admitted into hospital, they will be referred to the Hub or they can ask to be referred. Support can start right away while they are in hospital including arranging for housing support, cleaning, installing mobility aids, caring for pets, organising food shops or setting up befriending services.