Care Closer to Home (CCH)
Care Closer to Home enables those with complex care needs, or who have multiple medical conditions or are frail, to live healthy and independent lives at home or in a place they call home and out of hospital wherever possible.
This helps prevent unnecessary hospital attendance or admission, but if a hospital visit is required, community support will be provided as required to enable the patient to return home sooner.
Services in the local community will work together with the patient to provide the support and care needed in familiar surroundings close to family and friends. The services working together include GPs, community services, community mental health services, adult social care, care homes, home care services and voluntary organisations.
What Care Closer to Home will provide?
- joined up services, where everyone who is caring for them understands their medical history and the health and care services they use
- access to a wide range of professionals and diagnosis facilities in the community, so they can get access to the people and the services they need in a single appointment
- different ways of getting advice and treatment including digital, telephone-based, and face-to-face services, matched to their individual needs
- shorter waiting times, with appointments at a time that works around their life
- greater involvement when they want it in decisions about their care
- an increased focus on preventing ill health and enabling people to take greater control of their own health.
Patient-centred care
The patient is the most important partner in Care Closer to Home. Their involvement is crucial to the success of the programme. Evidence shows that people benefit physically and mentally if they can be cared for at or close to home by health and care staff based in the community.
Unfortunately, when admitted to hospital, older people can lose their independence and can find it harder to return home. They may also develop further health issues because of changing their regular routine. Therefore, Care Closer to Home does everything in its power to limit this and provide health and care solutions that enable patients to be cared for in the place they call home or their local community.
Care Closer to Home means that patients will receive more responsive and care suitable for them and their situation, and importantly, what matters to them. They will also be empowered to make informed decisions and to help design their own care.
How does it work?
This programme forms an overarching shared strategic objective which is informed by both the Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Prescribing programmes.
We are focusing on five key aspects to develop a blueprint for the out-of-hospital model of integrated care:
- Integrating care
- Urgent community response
- High Intensity User service
- Heart failure
- Palliative and end of life care
- Community Cardiology
Delivery
We will provide co-ordinated care for patients at home and/or in their local community to prevent their condition(s) worsening so that they do not need unplanned hospital care and visits. We will also continue to work to improve health inequalities and health outcomes for the population of Lincolnshire.
As part of the Care Closer to Home programme, we also want to create well-managed, flexible working environments that support our staff and promote their welfare and development. This enables teams to better help and support their patients through up-to-date specialist knowledge, skills, and facilities.
Care Closer to Home will provide different ways for patients to receive advice and treatment including digital, telephone-based, and face-to-face services, which will be clearly matched to their individual needs and requirements in a way that’s appropriate for them.
By providing patients with the right care at the right time at home in their communities or in a place they call home, their health can improve, and we will fulfil what is at the heart of Care Closer to Home; improving health outcomes for patients and our local population.