Supporting residents who are unwell in their home is faster, safer and swifter thanks to the NHS and care partners working together to provide urgent care in the community.
Since launching, the Mid and South Essex Urgent and Community Response Team has now accepted more that 12,000 referrals since January 2022.
It is estimated that around 40% of people supported by the team would otherwise have resulted in an attendance to hospital, with a further 28% of people likely to have been admitted to hospital.
Most importantly, even more local people have received care and treatment in the community, improving local patient experiences.
I was referred into the urgent response service after calling 999, I was just amazed, I often say that people feel your pain and they obviously did. They were ever so good, most nurses are, but they were exceptional.”
Jason, a former journalist and author in his 70s from Essex,
The Urgent Community Response Team is a collective of nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare support workers who assess patients in urgent health or social care crisis at home within a two-hour window. They can put together a plan of care for an individual and also arrange for urgent equipment to be delivered, such as commodes or hospital beds.
The team works collaboratively with partners and social care to helps reduce the need for hospital admissions.
“The service means that residents get the care they need at home. This, in turn, helps with system pressures reducing the need for an ambulance to attend so they can focus on more life threatening emergencies”.
Yvonne Mubu, Strategic Head of UCRT Services
Find out more about Jason’s story by watching his Moments that Matter video via the button below.
Jason’s story