A new healthcare hub dedicated to helping people return home from hospital sooner is to open at Royal Bolton Hospital.
The Integrated Transfer of Care Hub will be open seven days a week to improve patient experience by increasing flow through the hospital, reducing the amount of time they spend in hospital and creating tailored plans to support people home.
A singular hub allows for hospital and community services to work together to identify what additional support is needed for people once they have been discharged.
Key features of an Integrated Transfer of Care Hub includes:
- A 7-day service that brings together health, social care and housing.
- All teams working towards the same discharge goals from the moment a patient is admitted to hospital.
- Dedicated triage teams will be in place to support to the place they call home.
- A ‘home first’ approach.
- Working with voluntary organisations, including Age UK Bolton and armed forces charities.
Patients who require additional support after leaving hospital will arrive in the Integrated Transfer of Care Hub to receive a full assessment and make sure they’re being discharged to the place that best meet their needs.
For these patients it means:
- Fewer handovers between different clinical services, meaning less duplication of assessments.
- Less time spent in hospital and therefore less time away from their own bed.
- Reduced likelihood of deconditioning, infection, confusion or disorientation and increased dependence.
The transformation of N Block is underway, with construction work set to be complete by September 2026.
‘Connecting services together’
Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We know that once patients are well enough to go home safely, staying in hospital longer than they need can end up slowing down their recovery.
“Our Integrated Transfer of Care Hub will see a team of health and care professionals, community services, and voluntary and social enterprise organisations working together from the moment a patient is admitted to find out what support they might need once they’re out of hospital and back in the place they call home.
“Connecting services together in this way means our patients will spend less time in hospital whilst at the same time freeing up bed capacity for other patients who need our help too.”
The creation of the hub forms part of the Trust’s 2024-2029 strategy to create new models of care that better meet the needs of Bolton and reduce pressure on hospital services, as well as with the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England which focuses on shifting care from hospitals to communities.
For more information about services at Royal Bolton Hospital and how the Trust works with organisations in Bolton, please visit our website.
