To me, to you: meet the team muscling together to reduce hospital discharge times in Staffordshire

This month staff across our Revival trusted teams have rallied together to further support patients being discharged from local hospitals. 

Our Home Support Service helps patients and ward staff at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford's County Hospital to safely discharge patients' homes. 

We have a team based in the hospitals and out in the community that provides bedside solutions to problems that hold up discharge for patients. 

These can be as simple as providing food to someone who doesn't have any in, or as complicated as moving furniture to make room for a hospital bed downstairs. 

Without the team's expert help patients wouldn't be allowed to go home. 

In the last 12 months, the team has completed 49 furniture moves providing a safe environment for patients to return home to. 

This month the team has called on staff from across the organization to help increase response times and decrease discharge times. 

Team Leader Paul (pictured above) says staff has rallied together to support furniture moves. 

“We’ve recently seen an increase in the number of furniture move referrals”, said Paul.

“They require a same or next-day response, and it becomes difficult to fit around existing commitments.

“We never want to turn people down. We know that people in need want to return home and that there is always another local person waiting for the hospital bed.

“Home Support Workers Sabina, Jane, and Becky offered to help and within a day I was able to train them on the safe lifting procedure. Now they’re all pros, and it feels like they’ve been doing it for years!”

Home Support Worker Becky (pictured above) said she was eager to help and is glad to be making a difference. 

“In my day-to-day, I provide support to help people returning home from Stafford’s County Hospital.

“When Paul said he needed a hand to cope with demand, I was more than willing to chip in.

“Having worked at county hospital I know that if someone is being discharged and is required to have downstairs living, furniture moves hold up that process.

“By chipping in, I’m helping to speed up discharge and making sure local people are safe and well at home.”