A pioneering Team Up initiative provides intensive support to people who require care in their own homes because they require support with daily living or are physically unable to get to their GP surgery. It involves advanced clinical practitioners, council social workers, district nurses, home carers and a local GP.
Between March 2023 and February 2024 figures indicate there were nearly 1,500 fewer A&E (ED) attendances of the most frail people than would have been expected and nearly 1,000 fewer unplanned (emergency) admissions to hospital of this group, based on previous years’ attendance statistics and despite having seen a population growth in our 65-74 age group. National benchmarking data from the NHS Benchmarking Network shows that Derby and Derbyshire are now tracking below the national average (mean) for ED attendances.
‘Team Up Derbyshire’ is a programme of work that also plays a significant role in supporting effective hospital discharge by supporting frail, elderly people to stay out of hospital and live safely at home. It brings together health, care and other professionals to work as one with each other and with their communities to improve the lives of those who need it most. In working together, across professional and organisational boundaries, it increases efficiency, effectiveness and, most importantly, improves the health and wellbeing of people who live in Derbyshire, particularly those who are most vulnerable. We’ve seen a significant improvement in terms of reducing the number of people over the age of 65 and 75 who need to access local emergency departments. Before Team Up was introduced in April 2021, Derbyshire was routinely above the national average in those measures, and now we compare much more favourably sitting well below the national average.