Enhanced Care at Home

The Enhanced Care at Home (ECAH) service has been designed to support patients within the South Eastern HSC Trust geographical area.

It is the provision and delivery of individualised care for people in their own homes or as close to their own homes as possible who are requiring an acute hospital admission. This includes nursing, residential homes as well as community hospital clinics.

The aim of the service is to prevent hospital admission for those acutely unwell patients by helping them be as safe and independent as possible at home during this short period. Additionally, the service enables patients to leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit.

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• What services do we provide?

  In your own home we will carry out a full patient assessment. This will include a health assessment and possibly a Consultant visit depending on your needs. During this time you will have prompt access to a range of specialist support including a domiciliary visit by a hospital Geriatrician, physio, occupational therapy, social services if required.  We can also avail of specialist nursing teams for example respiratory, diabetic and heart failure depending on your specific needs.

  If your condition requires further medical intervention our service can offer:

  • Increased Monitoring and Observations as required
  • Intravenous antibiotics/other drug therapies
  • Blood transfusions (acute and palliative)
  • Venesection
  • Subcutaneous fluid therapy
• The Team
  • The ECAH team consists of your GP/Hospital Consultant
  • Senior Nursing staff /Physio with specialist qualifications
  • Staff Nurses
  • Health Care Assistants
  • Physio
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Pharmacist
• Referrals

  If your GP/District Nurse/Northern Ireland Ambulance Service or other health professional feels you are acutely unwell but could avoid hospitalisation and can be managed at home safely they can contact and refer directly to the service.

  As an inpatient if your hospital consultant or ward staff feels you are ready for discharge but still require medical treatment/ monitoring they can refer you to the service and a senior member of the team will assess you in the ward prior to your discharge.

  If accepted onto the service from home we will aim for a member of the team to be with you within the same day of the referral phone call.

• What to expect following a referral

  You will be visited at home/hospital by a member of the team. With your consent following a full clinical assessment we will agree a plan of treatment with you and agree how often we will visit and if other professionals  are required for example podiatrists, dieticians, speech therapy.

• Accessible Guides

  Ards Hospital 

  Downe Hospital

  Lagan Valley Hospital