Intermediate Care
Enablement Service
The service is an integrated multi-disciplinary service, jointly funded and staffed by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and London Borough of Lewisham, which provides rehabilitation and support to adult Lewisham residents to return them to an optimum level of function after an admission to hospital.
We work with people who live in Lewisham, who are 18 or older – although the average age of people served is 80 – who need some physical rehabilitation either after being in hospital. We serve over 3,000 people per year.
Staff are based in multi-disciplinary clusters which provide a service to Lewisham residents in their own homes and in 25 Nursing Home beds, based in Brymore Nursing Home in Grove Park.
Direction of patient flow:
- Supported discharge, which enables patients to be discharged safely and efficiently from hospital back to their own homes
- Brymore nursing home beds for bed based rehabilitation.
The supported discharge service may be for you if:
- You are a Lewisham resident
- You are 18 or over (55 or over if going into a Brymore bed)
- You are likely to improve significantly in 6 weeks or less
- Can transfer without hoist (bed-based) or with help of carer (home)
- Can follow and remember simple instructions
- If you are living alone, you must be safe at home overnight and for periods during the day
- Willing to be treated by the Enablement staff including therapists, and if a carer is involved, they are willing to have person treated by Enablement.
- Requires rehabilitation input from one or more disciplines from the team
The multi-disciplinary teams are made up of nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapist and support workers, together with business support. In addition, there is support from the Care of the Elderly Consultant Team at UHL for patients undergoing bed based rehabilitation and support from a speech and language therapist as appropriate.
Enablement nurses will help with medication reviews, monitor skin breakdown, help with incontinence issues, check pain management and work closely with the GP to support you becoming more independent.
Physiotherapists will give you individual exercise programmes to help you move from one place to another, become stronger, less likely to fall, be more active and suggest and provide equipment, walking aides and other device to support your mobility.
Occupational therapists will help you with activities that allow you to be more independent in washing, dressing, toileting, cooking, improve your memory, attention and problem solving, work leisure and education.
Social workers will help you, your family and carers to deal with changes in your life, help you to organise paid carers to support you at home, make sure that you are safe and your needs are met appropriately and advise you about local resources.
Our support workers will visit you daily and practice activities like washing and dressing, preparing a meal and help get you as independent as possible.
Referrals are processed through a Central Point of Referral and service is provided free at the point of service for up to 6 weeks according to individual need. The service is available 7 days per week from 8am to 8pm, but open to referrals Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
We will be involved in arranging your discharge home from hospital and will come to you in your own home post discharge.
Where are we based?
- Supported Discharge team is based in Ivy House, Catford.
- Bed based rehabilitation is provided at Brymore Nursing Home Grove park.
Enablement provide every discharged patient with an anonymous customer satisfaction survey to complete, and these scores have been consistently at 80% or above in the “satisfied” or “very satisfied” range.