NHS Calderdale CCG established the Quest for Quality in Care Homes to introduce a more consistent and sustainable model of care for older people living in residential care in Calderdale, taking a person-centred approach and helping to make efficient use of health and social care resources.
The Quest programme combined a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), real-time access to live clinical records, and telecare and telehealth systems in order to:
-Reduce avoidable ambulance call outs, A&E attendance, hospital admissions and GP visits
-Improve resident care and safety
-Respond more effectively to urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, falls and fractures
-Support staff to feel confident in providing high quality care
-Improve quality of life for residents
The MDT includes dedicated Quest Matrons; Consultant Geriatrician; Pharmacist; Clinical Psychologist; links to Palliative Care and to other areas such as tissue viability. It works with key stakeholders including residents, care homes, Calderdale Council and primary care staff to minimise the need for residents to access unplanned care services and ensure patients are proactively managed to keep them within the care home setting. The team also works with secondary care staff in hospitals to support the timely discharge of residents.
The Quest for Quality in Care Homes demonstrates the benefits of integrated working between health and social care, and how technology can support this by:
-Enabling services to be integrated and delivered at scale by sharing timely, relevant information across multiple stakeholders
-Empowering care staff to take a preventative approach, using real-time information to identify issues at an early stage, and mitigates consequences of emergency events by enabling prompt responses
-Enabling the proactive management of residents by reviewing trends over time
-Facilitating effective communication between all levels of care