Extra help at home when you leave hospital
There are a range of services and support available for people who need extra help at home after leaving hospital. We can help you if:
- You live alone and will struggle to take care of yourself
- You have significant mobility or physical issues
- You will not be able to access key areas in your current home (for example, too many stairs)
You can speak to the staff on your ward if you think you will need extra help to manage at home when you leave hospital. They can arrange for an Adult Care, Health and Wellbeing worker to visit you during your stay or soon after you have returned home. They will talk to you about your home circumstances and how you will manage. If necessary, they will arrange a support package for you.
Support can also be arranged if someone is in hospital elsewhere in the country, but lives in Cornwall.
How it works
We have combined Adult Social Care and NHS teams in the major hospitals used by people who live in Cornwall. They are called Acute Hospital Discharge Teams. Their job is to arrange appropriate discharge from hospital for people.
They prioritise patients, based on their level of need, and the risks faced by them if those needs are not met.
Their role is to liaise between the hospital and any support that the person will need, to help them manage at home. They will also ensure that patient records and notes are transferred to local medical providers as well.
What help is available?
Depending on your level of need, there is a range of services to help you when you return home. Some services are provided by us, and some by other organisations:
- Community nursing
- Daily living equipment
- Help with regaining independence
- Home adaptations
- Meal preparation or meal delivery
- Personal care at home
- Shopping and collecting prescriptions
- Transport to appointments
STEPs
Our Short Term Enablement Programme, is known as STEPs. It is also described as reablement care.
It provides short term help to adults living in the community who might be vulnerable for a time. This might be due to leaving hospital, or some kind of crisis.
The STEPs team’s focus is on helping you regain confidence and independence, and learn skills you may have lost, or need to do differently. The service will also assess the type of support you might need longer term.
The STEPs service is for up to six weeks, depending on what you need, and the progress you make.
You cannot make your own referral to STEPs, but a health or social care worker can do that for you.
You can find out more about STEPs and reablement services on our Corserv Care page.
Occupational Therapists
You might also be referred to an Occupational Therapist. You can find out more about what Occupational Therapists do, and how they can help you here.
Find out more about Occupational Therapists
Adaptations to your home
If you need changes to your home, such as hand rails, ramps, or different taps, the Occupational Therapist will make recommendations. For larger adaptations, such as a stair lift, or accessible bathroom, there is support to help organise that. There may also be funding available. You can find out more on our Accommodation and Housing options page.
Visit our Accommodation and Housing page
How can we help carers
If you are a carer, you can also have an assessment of your needs, regardless of whether the person you look after receives support from us or not. This assessment will look at how your caring responsibilities affect you and what sort of help you may find useful. A personal budget may be available following your assessment. This is for you to purchase your own support.
Visit our Carers pages for more information
Homelessness on leaving hospital
If you are worried about becoming homeless when you leave hospital, the Council’s Housing team can support you. Hospital departments have a duty to refer you to our homeless service if you will be homeless after leaving hospital.
In Cornwall, there is a dedicated Homeless Patients Advisor (HPA).
You can find out more on the Housing department’s page.