New NHS position to aid discharged hospital patients

Anew NHS Grampian role – the first of its kind – has been created to help discharged patients who are at greater risk of feeling isolated or alone.

The health board’s community support coordinator will play a crucial part in getting people settled at home after they have been discharged from hospital.

Made possible from the funds allocated through NHS Charities Together, NHS Grampian Endowment Fund are working in partnership with the Grampian Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs) to recruit someone for the two-year project. The community support coordinator will work together with Aberdeenshire Volunteer Action (ACVO) and TSI Moray to deliver the new project across the north-east.

Sheena Lonchay, operational manager for NHS Grampian Charities, said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the TSIs on this new and exciting role.

“This person will have a crucial link with hospital staff and volunteers and help people to get out of hospital and settled back into home and the community.

“From supporting somebody with their transport and shopping to matching local volunteers to people being discharged from hospital – these will be the key responsibilities required for the role.

“More importantly, the role will require checking in on their wellbeing needs which is another critical part.”

This project will build, better connect and co-ordinate what is already available in the third sector to support post-discharge.

In addition, there is hope it will help realise and continue to help learning from the community Covid response.

The role will be homebased and be at the hub of post-hospital discharge care, while harnessing the goodwill in communities.

Maggie Hepburn, chief executive of ACVO, added: “This project is based on each partner’s specific expertise and builds on the resource and strength of communities that emerged during the pandemic to better connect these community networks to statutory acute health services and know-how.

“It will be a test of change for an accelerated discharge to home model based on community and volunteer integration.”