Home First – helping you recover at home
Home First is a new partnership approach to provide more community-based care in Dorset and reduce unnecessary hospital stays.
To begin with, NHS and social care services in Dorset are teaming up to help people out of hospital more quickly and recover in the comfort of their own homes wherever possible.
As soon as a person is ready to leave hospital, they will be discharged home – or to a local care home or community hospital, if that is more appropriate – and assessed to see if they require additional support to aid their recovery.
Family members and/or carers will be involved in assessing and planning any care or support that is needed.
Home First is in line with Government ‘discharge to assess’ guidelines, as well as evidence which indicates people recover more quickly in a home setting. It will help ensure Dorset has sufficient bed capacity to meet demand.
Future work will focus on reducing hospital admissions, and providing the support required to help people remain safe and well in the community.
Home First – how it works
Home First brings together staff from Dorset’s acute hospitals (in Bournemouth, Dorchester and Poole), community teams from Dorset HealthCare, and social care services from both BCP (Bournemouth Christchurch Poole) Council and Dorset Council.
Together, they form a virtual ‘One Dorset Team’, divided into five clusters – Bournemouth and Christchurch, Poole, East Dorset and Purbeck, North and Mid-Dorset, and Weymouth and the Jurassic Coast.
A dedicated team co-ordinates referrals from the acute hospitals and liaises with cluster team leads to ensure patients are promptly assessed and provided with appropriate support once they have returned home (or to another care setting).
Leaflets
Useful links
Information about adult social care and support in your area
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole – www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Home.aspx or www.mylifemycare.com/
Dorset – https://adultsocialcare.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/
Who is eligible for adult social care through the Care Act 2014
Information about Dorset’s community hospitals
How to contact the Carer Support Service
University Hospitals Dorset (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals): 0300 019 8714 or carersupport@uhd.nhs.uk.
How to contact Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS)
University Hospitals Dorset (Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals): 0300 019 4886 or pals@uhd.nhs.uk
University Hospitals Dorset (Poole hospital): 0300 019 8499 or patientexperienceteam@uhd.nhs.uk
Dorset County Hospital: 0800 7838058 or pals@dchft.nhs.uk
Dorset HealthCare: 0800 587 4997 or dhc.pals@nhs.net
Community support for carers
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP):
Carers’ Resource Information and Support (CRISP)
Tel: 01202 128787
Dorset:
Tel: 0800 3688349