Urgent Community Response teams bolster winter support to keep patients at home

Residents across Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin are benefiting from an expanded Urgent Community Response (UCR) service designed to provide vital care in the home and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions during the challenging winter months.

In a significant boost to local healthcare provision, the service has extended its operational hours to run from 8am until midnight every day of the year, ensuring that urgent medical support is available late into the evening. This expansion aims to reduce the significant pressure currently facing emergency departments and ambulance services by treating patients in their own familiar surroundings.

The UCR team is a multidisciplinary group of experts committed to reaching patients in a health crisis within a two-hour window, provided their condition does not require a formal hospital admission. This highly skilled workforce comprises advanced clinical practitioners, district nurses, physiotherapists, paramedics, and pharmacy technicians who work together to address both health and social care needs.

Beyond medical assessments, the team is equipped to provide lifting equipment for those who have suffered a fall and can conduct immediate reviews of a patient's medication to ensure their safety.

Sarah Robinson, the Divisional Clinical Manager for Urgent and Emergency Care at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, noted that the service is having a profound impact on patient outcomes by allowing people to receive speedy treatment in comfort.

She explained that by avoiding prolonged hospital stays, patients can maintain their independence while help is diverted to those in the most critical need at emergency departments. The team handles a wide variety of urgent issues, ranging from sudden chest or skin infections to the management of flare-ups in long-term conditions such as diabetes or Parkinson’s disease.

The service also plays a crucial role in managing frailty, sudden declines in health, and urgent catheter care, alongside providing essential end-of-life or palliative support. Furthermore, the team acts as a vital alternative to an ambulance following a clinical discussion, often assisting with minor wounds or providing support for clinically stable patients with COVID-19.

Referrals are made directly by health and care professionals, with current data showing that over 70% of people are successfully reached and treated within the target two-hour timeframe.

Rachel Gallyot, Chief Medical Officer for the Integrated Care Board Cluster for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent said:

“The 2-hour UCR teams make a real difference - keeping residents of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin healthy, independent and out of hospital wherever possible. This in turn helps to reduce pressure on urgent and emergency care services and the wider health and care system by preventing avoidable admissions to hospital and emergency department attendances.”