Discharge Home to Assess
Description of service
DH2A is an integrated community service which supports discharges from acute and community hospitals. We support patients’ home from hospital across East & North Hertfordshire.
Medically optimized patients are accepted onto the pathway to receive the necessary health and social care assessments within their own home rather than these having to be completed in hospital. We aim to review patients within 72 hours, however this can be sooner dependent on capacity.
DH2A provides an enablement, rehabilitative pathway for up to 21 days post discharge. The team is comprised of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Technical Instructors and Rehab support workers. There is also a Community Psychiatric Nurse linked with the team.
There are 3 Occupational Therapists in the team who cover the East, Welwyn and Hatfield and Stevenage areas.
The role of the Occupational Therapist within the team is to:
- identify rehabilitation potential and needs
- conduct functional assessments and provide advice for equipment and techniques to support independence
- identify cognitive and memory dysfunction, using standardised assessments and joint working with the CPN when appropriate
- assess and review moving and handling equipment
- provide advice on health education and self-management approaches
