Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation (KCHFT) have joined forces with the aim of improving care for hip fracture patients undergoing treatment at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.
The partnership has been in place for three years and sees collaboration from teams from the two trusts as well as the Therapy Assisted Discharge Service and Kent Enablement at Home, who provide additional support to patients at every stage of their journey.
The partnering organisations aim to help patients get back home and into familiar surroundings as soon as it is safe for them. Patients undergo surgery at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and receive physiotherapy assessment the following day, with the trusts then working together to establish the next steps for each patient and create a bespoke care package to continue supporting them through recovery.
“This means that patients are not only moving out of acute hospital care more quickly, but for those who transfer to a community hospital, 73 percent of patients then go home and do not need continued hospital care,” said MTW.
The trusts have worked to ensure that patients moving onto the next phase of their rehabilitation are seen within 24 hours, exceeding the 72 hours standard set by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Tina Cooper, lead matron for trauma and orthopaedics at MTW, said: “This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and proactive approach of teams across both trusts. I am really proud of the way that our two organisations have worked together and their dedication to delivering outstanding patient care.”
Caroline Essenhigh, matron at Tonbridge Community Hospital, part of KCHFT, added: “Collaboration with therapy and nursing leaders at MTW has been excellent, with good communication and a willingness to work together to identify issues, celebrate successes and develop solutions.”
