Home First Therapy

This service only accepts referrals from within Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

The Home First Team are a therapy team comprised of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists who are part of the MDT across the Urgent Care footprint of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

The team provide holistic assessments for medically optimised patients in Urgent Care with the main aim of promoting independence, facilitating rapid discharge and ultimately the prevention of unnecessary hospital admissions.

The team support the Emergency Department’s 4 and 12-hour performance targets and contribute to effective bed management, reduced ED congestion and improved patient flow.

The team use a ‘Home First’ philosophy which aligns to ‘discharge to assess’ pathways. They work closely with and have direct referral pathways to the Admissions Avoidance Team and Intermediate Care services thus improving the timeliness of referrals and optimising the discharge process. The team can link in with Integrated Discharge Team colleagues for more complex discharge planning requiring Social Work support.

• Patients aged 18+ and registered with a GP
• Patients in Urgent Care who are medically optimised for discharge and;
• Require a therapy assessment for discharge. This is likely to relate to poor mobility, difficulty with functional activities or someone in need of social support to return home
• May need a referral to a Community ‘step up’ bed or Intermediate Care bed where discharge home isn’t recommended. This is likely to be for safety reasons.

Referral via Telephone (x144262) or internal bleep (3009)