A NEW community service aimed at helping people to get home from hospital and avoid hospital admissions has been given the thumbs up after only a few months.

The Community Response Team Ryedale, launched in January, provides assessment, care, treatment and rehabilitation for patients in their own home so people can reduce their stay in hospital, return home and retain their independence.

The team of health and social care professionals includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, community nurses, support workers and social workers who work together to provide up to six weeks of rehabilitation in people’s own home.

One patient who has seen huge benefits from the service is Doris "Bunny" Hodgkin, 85, and her husband Ken.

Bunny was referred to the team following a fall at home where she damaged her hip. The pain meant that Bunny had severe difficulty getting around the house and both her and Ken were struggling to cope with general activities of daily living.

Bunny said: “I was confined to a wheelchair when the team first came out to me and needed help with everything. They came in three times a day and helped me to walk and become independent again. They worked with me to get me up and around.

"Nobody could believe the difference in just six weeks. It was a pleasure to have the team in my home and I miss them all.”

Through the team’s support and her own hard work, Bunny is now mobile around her house and the couple have even been out for a trip in their car.

The service follows an independent review of health services in North Yorkshire which recommended a shift to more people being cared for in the community rather than hospitals. To receive the service patients have to be a resident of Ryedale, be medically stable and willing to continue rehabilitation within their own homes.

Scott Caul, physiotherapist with the team, said: “The feedback from patients so far has been fantastic. Most people would prefer to be back in the comfort of their own home environment, with the support of their family, rather than sitting on a hospital ward.

“Rehabilitation provides the basis of the care plan that helps patients recover and prevents them coming back into hospital. It’s a win-win situation and it’s proving very encouraging.

“The service is time limited so we work in partnership with patients to set realistic and achievable goals that will help them do as much as they can for themselves with our support.”