Specialist Therapist-Surrey Downs Health & Care in Epsom

Surrey Downs Health & Care is responsible for providing rapid access, enhanced, short-term health and care support for people who would otherwise need emergency hospital admission as well as for those medically stable to return home from an acute hospital but requiring enhanced short-term support as one stage in their ongoing care pathway.

The Surrey Downs Health and Care Home First service spans the acute and community providing joined up, co-ordinated care to local citizens with health and social care needs. The service aims to support people living as independently as possible by offering rapid multidisciplinary assessment and support at times of crisis.

The rapid response function provides assessment within two hours of referral and a short-term intervention to mitigate the risk of a hospital admission by providing service users with a short-term, high-intensity package of care in the person’s own home as an alternative to hospital admission. Where admission has been unavoidable, the team provides hospital in-reach with multidisciplinary discharge planning (community assessment, reablement, and support packages) to facilitate an early discharge from hospital and support people to return to their own homes as quickly as possible.

To work as a key member of the multidisciplinary team in assessment and management of a caseload of clients, planning, delivering and evaluating the treatment needs of clients with a variety of complex social and health care needs. To participate as an active member of the multidisciplinary team in developing and delivering high quality and innovative services to the local population.

The expectations within this job description will be achieved through hands-on clinical practice, education, training and research. To promote effective teamwork within the wider Surrey Downs Health and Care Team, delegating activities appropriately, to the benefit of the patient and service delivery.

As a therapist within Surrey Downs Health and Care there will be the opportunity to work closely alongside and potentially rotate into other sectors of the organisation, including the Home First Service who provide enhanced supported discharge and prevention of acute hospital admission.

Surrey Downs Health and Care delivers care closer to people’s own communities through our Primary Care Networks, Community Hospitals, Specialist Services and our innovative partnership of local NHS organisations. Surrey Downs Health and Care has a track record of providing person-centered care that goes beyond organisational boundaries to do what is best for the individual.

This partnership includes:

• The three GP federations GP Health Partners, Dorking Health Care and Surrey Medical Network representing practices that operate in the Surrey Downs area
• Epsom and St Helier’s University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Surrey Council County

Historically, there have been boundary lines between the organisations that provide care to people in their homes, in GP surgeries and in hospitals, but we have always been united in our mission to provide great care to the people who need us. It’s on those grounds that the Surrey Downs Health and Care was formed – we want local people to receive the care that they need in the right environment. By bringing together our expertise, we can improve patient care and enable local people to access the right support, care and treatment more easily than ever before. In bringing this partnership together, we are working to the same set of values that will translate into better care for our residents.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Philippa Gibson, Job title: Operational Lead, Email address: philippa.gibson1@nhs.net, Telephone number: 07721741556