WARRINGTON Hospital has opened a new “step down” care facility for patients who require further therapy, rehabilitation or support following discharge from hospital.
The facility is at former nursing home Houghton Hall, at Orford and will provide 39 new “hospital” beds.
Hospital chiefs believe the care provided there will ensure patients are better able to return to their homes following illness or surgery.
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has converted the building to create a high quality setting for this new style of care. It is managed by the hospital which has recruited a team of dedicated nursing and support staff based on site.
Step down care is becoming a new focus for the NHS with an acceptance that many patients benefit from better integrated care in the community to receive the support they need to make the final recovery before going back home.
It will also allow the hospitals to free up beds which would have otherwise been used by these patients.
Thirty five beds at Houghton Hall are for step down care. Four beds will be used for “step up” care – providing a facility for local GPs to send patients in the community with underlying medical problems who may need some help to manage their condition and prevent them from needing a longer hospital stay.
All patients have single rooms and there are a range of facilities including therapy rooms and day rooms. The unit has a manager, two sisters, 17 staff nurses and 19 unqualified nursing staff, as well as full housekeeping, catering and domestic support.
There is input from consultant teams from the hospital and it provides access to therapy and social care support in partnership with the Community Services Unit of NHS Warrington and Warrington Borough Council.
Simon Wright, director of operations at the Trust, said: “This development is really going to benefit local patients.
“By taking patients out of the hospital and into a bespoke facility like Houghton Hall we can prepare them for their return home in an environment that is right for them and the care they need.”
Feedback from the first patients moved into Houghton Hall has been good.
Matron for step down care Louise Meikle, who is based on site, said: “This new facility is the result of close partnership working to ensure that our patients get all the co-ordinated care they need from the hospitals and community services. We have recruited a dedicated team of staff and it’s a real benefit to the range of health services we provide across the town.”
