Intermediate care and reablement are short-term services offered by the NHS and social care teams. They are designed to assist people to be as independent as possible in their own homes after an emergency hospital stay or illness or to avoid an unnecessary admission to hospital.
The services also help people to remain living at home once their needs have changed due to illness or injury, and they can no longer care for themselves independently. Intermediate care can delay or avoid the need to move into permanent residential care.
The support is available for free for periods of up to six weeks. For those wishing to remain in their own home, there are three types of support available. Crisis response will set up an assessment and short-term care plan if there is an urgent increase in needs which can be safely managed at home.
Home-based intermediate care provides services at home, and will be delivered by a team of health professionals, including nurses and therapists. Reablement is a service provided by specially trained social care staff. The staff will work with the resident to help them re-learn skills which they may have lost while they were unwell, such as washing and dressing.
How to access intermediate care
Social care or NHS staff will need to make an assessment to see if the person might benefit from the service. This will include an appraisal of physical and mental functions, and assess whether there is the potential for the person to improve and live independently.
If the assessment shows a person may benefit from intermediate care, the staff will develop a set of goals to help them achieve independence and improve their quality of life. These should be realistic aims draw up in consultation with the person or their family.
If you think you or someone you care for would benefit from the service, you can request a referral from their GP, social worker, or hospital staff.
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8 August,2021
