Community care scheme launches

14 July 2015

​​A new service is helping Islanders regain their independence after leaving hospital.

The Step Up/Step Down Service is run by the Health and Social Services Department (HSSD) in partnership with Family Nursing & Home Care (FNHC) and the Silver Springs care home. Around 12 patients have benefited since the launch in mid-May.

Step Up/Step Down is part of the ‘Out of Hospital’ system which enables Islanders who do not need to remain in hospital to receive professional care, either in a care home environment or in their own home.​

With first-year funding of £350,000, the move is part of the vision delivered in HSSD’s White Paper, Caring for each other, Caring for Ourselves, which went out to public consultation in 2012, and presented a re-design of services focusing on care in the community and dealing with the pressures of coping with a growing, elderly population. 

Long term care

These services aim to prevent admissions to hospital and long term care and facilitate early discharge from hospital, freeing up hospital beds whilst providing peace of mind for families that their relative or friend is receiving appropriate care.

Silver Springs is providing bed spaces under a contract with HSSD, with an option for more if demand increases.

Working with FNHC’s Rapid Response and Reablement team, the care home in St Brelade will ensure that clients receive care that enables them to continue to live at home as independently as possible.

Sindy Gartshore, senior home manager at Silver Springs, said "We are delighted to provide this important service, which we’ve had a lot of positive feedback about already. We can offer individual, flexible, personal care in a friendly environment."

Speaking about the new service, Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Andrew Green said “We know that Islanders want to be cared for in their own homes, out of hospital, wherever possible, and we also need to keep hospital beds available for those who really need to be there. I am pleased that we now have a service in place which meets these needs.”