Publish date: 28 July 2022
The national Urgent Community Response (UCR) team visited the Ealing UCR team at Clayponds hospital, West London to see how their service is operating.
National deputy director Kath Evans said: "I had the privilege of visiting Ealing and meeting the team delivering UCR. I met a patient and their family who were receiving support from the UCR team. Meeting them really demonstrated the power and importance of this service not only to individuals but also their loved ones. For the first time in two weeks the daughter (and carer) had slept, as she was no longer worried about her mum falling out of bed. The UCR physiotherapist in the service had identified the patient had a potential deep vein thrombosis and provided much needed equipment and advice for moving and handling. This really demonstrates the impact of the service behind the statistics."
Executive Director of Local Services Dr Christopher Hilton said ‘it was a pleasure to discuss the UCR work we have been doing here at West London and across North West London in developing the UCR service.” He added “UCR has been a very useful journey for the trust to avoid acute hospital admissions for individuals who can get better care at home. The aim of the visit was for the national team to see the work being carried out by the UCR team in Ealing and how it aligns with the national agenda. “
Reuben Dutta, Clinical Lead for Intermediate care, Ealing shared his thoughts on how the service model has benefitted patients and the reduce pressures on acute hospital services. He said ‘the service helps to ensure patients can be looked after in a more comfortable environment in their own homes, whilst providing a value addition to all the patient journeys taking place.”
The Ealing team demonstrated that out of 3,700 referrals received in 2021/22, 2,600 avoided admissions.
The visit offered valuable insights for both teams on the benefits of the service delivery to the local patient community in Ealing.