Abbot Care Home in Essex has been providing support to their local hospitals by creating a designated suite within their home, that recovering patients can be transferred into.
The Mallard Suite opened in 2020 and has been providing immediate care beds to people who require time to recover from an operation or illness. This placement is perfect for people who are not considered to be high risk, as it helps to free up hospital bed space for those in greater need of NHS care.
Elderly patients who are recovering but still need support can move into Abbot Care Home, for rehabilitation, respite or even permanent residence depending on needs & circumstances.
The designated suite operates independently from other suites at the care home to limit the spread of infection from people who have moved in from hospital. The suite has dedicated team members who help to provide 24-hour care to these people and help them back on the road to recovery, assisting them to regain their independence too.
During the pandemic, this specialist suite was especially helpful to the NHS, as It helped to make bed space for the people worst affected by COVID-19.
Ruth, Home Manager at Abbot Care Home said, “The team enjoy the collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. The NHS colleagues become integral to the smooth transition of care being delivered and together we work to ensure the best outcome for the individual. We benefit from having them on-site as this allows assessments, and physio to be carried immediately which supports the individuals in their journey. We have had many success stories where residents have managed to go home and equally find long term care. The comments from the people we support are heart-warming as they clearly benefit from the professional input and caring environment that the Intermediate Care Unit provides.”