South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s (SLHSCP) Home First triumphed in the Integrated Care category at the recent Scottish Health Awards. The evening recognises excellence across health and social care services.

“Home First could be likened to what we would describe as the ‘Goldilocks approach’ – the key aim is to deliver care that’s ‘just right’ as opposed to too much or too little,” explained Soumen Sengupta, Chief Officer, SLHSCP. “The ongoing pressures the entire health and social care system is experiencing as we move into the winter are well-publicised. Home First is a fundamental element to our local response to those pressures and is based on three key elements.”

Mr Sengupta added: “Firstly, people can be cared for at home (or as close to home as possible). Secondly, prevention of avoidable admissions to hospital and thirdly, where hospital admission is necessary, Home First seeks to support timely discharge.

Mr Sengupta added: “In essence, Home First is based on compassion and coordinating care around the individual’s needs. And quite often that’s about simple things that can make a significant difference.

“For example, assessing a person in their own familiar environment, as opposed to a clinical setting, can be less stressful for them. In turn, that enables staff to gather a much more accurate picture of a person’s needs. This is crucially important to ensuring the right package of care is set out, whilst supporting independence.”

Judges at the recent event were impressed at the concrete progress that’s been achieved under Home First so far - as well as plans for the immediate and longer-term future.

Following an initial investment package of over £4 million, several steps have been put in place including additional nursing staff who have been recruited to boost the capacity of local integrated community support teams (ICST.) ICSTs combine the expertise of a variety of health and social care professionals working together.

Multi-agency Home First teams have also been established in Lanarkshire's hospitals. Their work is part of the discharge without delay (DwD) programme, which aims to establish a clear timeframe of when someone will go home - at the earliest possible stage - with community, hospital staff and other partners working together closely.

The End-of-Life pathway team, who provide holistic care to patients approaching end of life within a homely setting, are also a key part of the approach. They work on the premise that no end-of-life care patients should experience unnecessary delays in their discharge from hospital and that all health and social care needs will be delivered by the community nursing team.

In the summer members of South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) showed their support for the ongoing phase, approving £5.428m of additional investment to consolidate what has been gained.

Marianne Hayward, programme Director for Discharge without Delay (Lanarkshire) who has led the Home First approach said: “This significant investment is currently being used, primarily, to recruit more health and social care staff to our community workforce and build on links with our third sector partners/unpaid carers. Combined with a continued commitment to existing partner relationships, collaboration and communication, the collective energy being channelled into the Home First approach will strengthen our ability to deliver transformed care as we move through the remainder of a challenging 2022 - and beyond.”

Lesley McDonald, Integration Joint Board Chair, said: “Having met and witnessed the outstanding work of our staff and partners first hand, I know how compassionate and completely invested they are in delivering the right care, at the right time and in the right place to the people in their care. “The fact that Home First has already been acknowledged as best practice nationally speaks further to the rigour, innovation and commitment our staff are bringing to addressing well publicised challenges being encountered across the nation.”

‘Medically, practically and emotionally and I cannot thank them enough’

When Jessie Turner was admitted to hospital last year having suffered a stroke, she feared she might not return to her Cambuslang home. Having only just recovered from a hip operation, the still active 94-year-old was convinced that her much-prized independence was at risk. However, thanks to the Home First programme, she has been able to recover and rehabilitate in the comfort and security of the house she has lived in for decades.

“I don’t know where I would be without the carers who come in every day”, said Jessie.

“I feel so fortunate. Thanks to Home First, my home carers, the hospital physiotherapists and occupational therapists all worked together and planned things so that I could not only get back to my home but live well there. Having this team of people in my life has made more difference than I could ever have imagined, medically, practically and emotionally and I cannot thank them enough. It’s been life changing.”

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