I recently joined Southmead Development Trust as the new Community Link Worker for our new service 
Going Home from Hospital. My role is to support people who have returned home, to live independently, to socialise, and access local community groups, activities, and services. I’ve really enjoyed my first few weeks in the role, getting to know new colleagues, finding out about local services, and meeting some of the lovely people I’ll be helping.
The service is a new partnership for us with Age UK Bristol. Their team, based at Southmead Hospital, look after arrangements for patients pre-discharge. They help patients to identify what their needs will be at home, and then refer them to link workers in the NHS, and in the voluntary and community sector.
We know that recovering from an illness or operation at home is more effective than staying in hospital for prolonged periods. People often feel happier and more comfortable in familiar surroundings, and being at home can support recovery and reduce the risk of getting an infection in hospital. It also helps to prevent de-conditioning where people lose the ability to do things for themselves.
The NHS are now working with organisations like ours to establish systems to meet the needs of patients and help them to successfully rehabilitate at home. Families and carers will be more involved with discharge decisions, and a ‘transfer of care hub’ will manage the different hospital discharge routes, helping to ensure people access the right services to support them leaving hospital.
The Age UK Bristol Hospital Link Workers (main picture) refer patients to me, before or when they’re due to return home. The service is for people aged over 50, living in North and West Bristol. I’m looking forward to meeting residents in their homes or in a community setting to help to make the transition from hospital to home as smooth as possible, and I’ll be working to make sure people have everything they need to stay well and make the next steps to recovery.
- Find out more about Going Home from Hospital HERE
- Find out how you can become a volunteer with Southmead Development Trust HERE
- Find out more about our work at the Trust HERE
