Beech Tree Total Care has been working with care professionals in the NHS, Local Authorities and the private healthcare sectors to provide a variety of home care and healthcare support for 25 years.
We understand the changing needs, demands and financial pressures that care professionals are increasingly facing. As a larger family owned business covering Kent, we can offer flexible care solutions to meet local solutions.
Our current range of services include:
- Healthcare Support
- Enablement
- Intermediate Care
- Hospital Admission Prevention
- Hospital Discharge Support
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
With its teams of trained home care staff, Beech Tree Total Care have experience in providing a range of domiciliary support services to hospitals, clinics and medical centres in both the NHS and the private hospital sectors as well as local authorities. These include:
Complex Care Support
Providing care and support to patients who have been discharged from hospital in receipt of regular visits from healthcare professionals, but who are unable to carry out normal day to day and personal care tasks independently. This service can be provided on a regular visit basis or with 24/7 live-in care.
NHS Continuing Care
Where a patient with a long-term condition has been assessed as eligible for ongoing care at home, we can provide all the homecare services required to enable that person to stay at home. This includes meeting all domestic support and personal care needs.
Hospital Admission Prevention
Some hospital admissions can be easily avoided by utilising the skills and experience of trained carers to provide additional one-to-one care, support and monitoring in the individual’s home for a period up to 3 days, including nights if necessary. This service is especially suitable for urinary tract infections.
Intermediate Care
We provide homecare services as part of a supported discharge programme, working alongside a team of healthcare professionals including nurses and occupational therapists, to enable the patient to regain their confidence and independence. The service can be for a few days or a few weeks depending on the individual needs of the patient.
Reablement
Also known as Enablement, this service is usually based on a fixed period of planned care from 4 to 6 weeks to enable the patient to regain confidence and independence following hospital discharge or a period of illness. Unlike intermediate care, this service is normally provided by specialist care staff. We work with the care manager to develop a flexible, personalised care plan which can be tapered to reduce dependence on care staff, with weekly monitoring, feedback and review of services.
Palliative Care
Beech Tree Total Care supports adult and elderly patients at home who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or condition and wish to stay in their own home rather than a hospital or hospice. Our aim is to make life comfortable for the patient and the family in this difficult time by providing personal care, support and companionship.
Fracture Care
This service is designed to give care and support to patients with fractures and other conditions requiring a plaster cast support, fixed splints and other fixing and retention procedures that restrict mobility of the patient and the ability to carry out basic personal care tasks such as toileting, washing, showering, dressing etc.
Enablement & Intermediate Care Services
Beech Tree Total Care work closely with the NHS and Social Services to provide homecare support following illness, injury or a period in hospital.
Enablement
Also known as Reablement, the aim of this service is to provide a progressive schedule of care to improve the confidence and regain the personal independence of the patient. Beech Tree Total Care offers this service from any of its locations in Kent.
Rather than just providing care, our specialist staff encourages the service user to do more things for themselves for the duration of the period of care. This normally involves a tapered care process starting with a higher level of support in the first 1-2 weeks, reducing to a minimum level of support in the final week. In many cases the service user may opt to stop having care if they feel it is no longer necessary, thereby reducing the burden of cost to the funder.
We can do this by explaining the enablement process and discussing and agreeing the personalised care plan with the service user and setting basic outcomes which demonstrate progress towards full independence. A weekly review is undertaken with the service user with a Care at Home Supervisor to monitor the outcomes and amend the following week’s care plan to a lower level, either by reducing the number of visits or reducing the duration of the visit.
The enablement care service often covers therapeutic support such as gentle exercise routines or support with treatments recommended by the Occupational Therapist or GP. It may also include monitoring nutrition, medication, fluid intake, temperature, blood pressure, application of topical creams, massage etc. in support of the healthcare team. Our staff will work with the healthcare team to be trained on the procedures for these tasks.
Where progress is not meeting outcome expectations, a review will normally be held with the care manager to re-assess the service user to modify the care and support package for intermediate care, continuing care or ongoing local authority funded homecare.
After the first 1-2 weeks, enablement support generally becomes more flexible and is not normally based on rigid visit times unless there is a medical need e.g. diabetes.
Intermediate Care
Intermediate Care differs considerably from enablement in that it is not assumed there will be progressive improvements in independence for the duration of the care period. The personalised care plan would not normally have specific outcome objectives apart from those set in the universal assessment agreed by the hospital. Intermediate Care normally works on a fixed programme of support for the duration at specific times and with less flexibility than enablement.
Service users who have previously received ongoing domiciliary care prior to hospital admission and are very likely to require ongoing care at the end of the 4-6 week period, would not normally be considered for an enablement programme. Steps would be taken to start planning for a follow-on domiciliary care package 2 weeks before the end of the intermediate care programme.
The intermediate care service often covers therapeutic support such as gentle exercise routines or support with treatments recommended by the Occupational Therapist or GP. It may also include monitoring nutrition, medication, fluid intake, pulse, temperature, blood pressure, application of topical creams, massage etc. in support of the healthcare team. Our staff would work with the healthcare team to be trained on the procedures for these tasks.
Rapid Response
Whichever approach is selected by the care manager, Beech Tree Total Care can provide enablement support or intermediate care on a rapid response basis. Subject to availability, experienced care staff with risk assessment training can start on the care package at short notice, subject to a full care plan assessment being carried out within 24 hours of the start time.
If the service user has no family members living locally or anyone who can attend to their needs when they return home from hospital, arrangements can be made by the care staff to ensure that there are some basic food items available at home. Care staff can do shopping as part of the support programme.
Private Services
These services can also be provided privately to patients returning home from private hospital treatment and may also be claimed on private health insurance.
Hospital Admissions Prevention (HAPS)
A recent report identified that 29% of hospital beds are occupied by patients who were admitted unnecessarily and could have been treated elsewhere – including patients with conditions that could have been treated in the community, as well as patients who had been readmitted within a week of discharge.
The main aims of our Hospital Admission Prevention Service (HAPS) are to:
- Avoid unnecessary adult hospital admissions
- Provide better outcomes and experiences for the patient
- Provide substantial savings to the NHS provider
- Allow hospital facilities to be used more efficiently and cost effectively
- Ease pressure on the demand for beds
Our HAPS service is solely aimed at supporting people who may otherwise be taken into hospital unnecessarily when they can be looked after in their own home, for example, while medication is allowed to take effect or if their condition is being monitored.
Research shows that people convalesce better in their own homes and are happier in their own beds. For patients with dementia or sensory impairments, their home environment provides less confusion where optimum care and recovery can be provided.
The service is flexible according to the needs of the patient and is frequently based on a rapid response process, from the time when the problem is identified. Normally the service is provided for 24-72 hours and includes overnight cover. As soon as Beech Tree Total Care is contacted, a rapid assessment would be carried out by a qualified risk assessor within 2 hours of the initial referral.
Hospital Discharge Services
In the interests of patient safety, many hospitals may delay discharge if there is no or insufficient home support. This can place an additional burden on the NHS if it means that beds are blocked by patients who would probably recover more quickly at home. Private hospital patients may end up staying in hospital longer than they need to or can afford.
Beech Tree Total Care can provide a flexible service for patients being discharged from hospital, whether the discharge is planned or at short notice.
We can:
- Arrange to meet the patient on arrival home or accompany them home
- Provide extended support on the first visit while they are getting settled back in, to include shopping for basic essentials, making up beds, and ensuring that the house is clean and tidy. This is essential for patients with little or no family support
- Remain overnight or live on site for a couple of days if more intensive support is required
- Agree with the individual/family or care manager what additional support and visits will be needed in both the initial period, and/or the longer term
- Liaise with GPs, District Nurses and other professionals to ensure that the individual is appropriately supported and readmission is therefore prevented
Palliative Care Services
With NHS community nursing resources overstretched, it can be difficult to provide the quality and standard of palliative care to enable a person to spend their final days in the comfort and familiar surroundings of their own home. This is especially the case where the person lives alone or with a partner who is unable to cope.
Our end of life services can alleviate the pressure on the family and healthcare team by bridging the gaps between palliative nursing visits either on a live-in basis or with regular visits during the day, or overnight stays. We can provide a full range of care and support services to ensure that the individual is as comfortable as possible in clean and tidy surroundings with proper hydration, nutrition and personal care.
Where pain relief is managed through medication, our staff will supervise and record medication and report back any signs or symptoms of deterioration to the GP or community nurse. Specially trained staff can support the administration of oxygen and take care of complex needs such as stoma and catheter care, monitoring temperature, blood pressure, fluid intake and general health and wellbeing.
In addition to ensuring that the physical needs are met, our staff offer companionship and comfort to the individual and the family at this difficult time.
As well as providing care on a planned basis, we can offer respite support to the family carer for just a few hours or several days so that they can rest assured that the individual is in good hands while they are away, with regular contact from the care worker if required.
Extra Care Schemes
Beech Tree Total Care are experienced providers of on-site care within Extra Care Schemes.
We supply a team of care staff fully dedicated to providing care and support within extra care schemes on a 24/7 basis including waking nights. We work in close partnership with the housing provider to ensure that seamless communication exists for the residents so they can concentrate on living their lives.
Care provided within the schemes can range from pop-in visits to 24/7 end of life support, enabling residents to remain at home. We also accompany residents on trips and visits outside of the scheme and play an active part in enabling residents to fully participate in scheme activities.
Social Housing Support
Beech Tree Total Care provide homecare round the clock in a variety of living environments in addition to privately owned housing. These include:
- Housing Association and Local Authority housing
- Sheltered Accommodation
- Retirement Homes
- Retirement Villages and Home Parks
- Extra Care Schemes
A number of Housing Associations provide social care and community support as part of the housing service. However, this is not always cost effective or efficient particularly in smaller housing units. Beech Tree Total Care can provide support to service users in social housing either directly or under contract to the housing association, either on a permanent or emergency cover basis.
If you are a housing provider and would like to find out more about social housing support, please contact Nicola Leroy, Operations Director on 01892 510844, or via email to nicola.leroy@careathomeservices.co.uk
Make an Appointment for a Care Assessment
Drop us a line by using the form below or call us on 01843 292925 to discuss your care needs or email us at office@beechtreetotalcare.co.uk
