Integrated Care in Action Week - our second blog

Joining forces with Age UK Oxfordshire to help older people this winter

Our Trust joined up with Age UK Oxfordshire this winter to support them and keep them well during the colder months. A big focus of this partnership was helping older people feel more confident on returning home from hospital, and helping them access further support in the community.

This formed part of a joined-up and collaborative approach to patient care this winter, with health and social care systems in Oxfordshire working together to look after our population this season. The approach allows us to provide safe, effective, and sustainable care for people across Oxfordshire at a time of increased demand on both health and social care services.

Age UK Oxfordshire staff were based at both of our John Radcliffe and Horton General hospitals - by being on-site, they were able to act quickly to support patients on their discharge. They were there during their hospital treatment to get an idea of what patients were likely to need when they went home, and help them with all kinds of care.

We were delighted to work with our Age UK Oxfordshire colleagues, and they demonstrated that their support made a real difference.  Winter is a very busy time for our hospitals, and knowing that our patients have that extra bit of support is really beneficial and fully supports our 'home first' approach.

All of our initiatives to support this approach have the same message at their core - often, home is the best place for our patients. Our Age UK Oxfordshire colleagues were there to make sure our patients felt assured and happy in their homes.

After being in hospital, our patients can often feel nervous about returning to more independent living. With Age UK Oxfordshire working with our patients from the very beginning of their hospital stay, they can tailor their approach to suit people's individual needs.