Award-winning social enterprise launches new service to support hospital patients

An award-winning social enterprise which works to reduce social isolation and loneliness amongst older people is launching a new service to support hospital patients return home safely.

The HMR Circle Home from Hospital Service will support older people to get safely home after a stay in hospital. The service will work in partnership with health and social care colleagues to enable older people to be discharged from hospital and return home in a safe and timely manner.

The service will ensure patients are accompanied home, safely settled in and comfortable. The service has a particular emphasis on supporting those who live alone, who do not have relatives or access to transport.

Patients will be referred to the service by the hospital discharge team, from the wards or discharge lounge, covering the Rochdale borough area - Fairfield, Royal Oldham, North Manchester and Rochdale Infirmary.

To support this new service, the group is recruiting a HMR Circle Home from Hospital Coordinator to help work with partners and recruit and train volunteers.

HMR Circle director Mark Wynn said: “The HMR Circle Home from Hospital Service will recruit and support volunteers to develop the service as part of a new preventative pathway to assist the discharge process for older people by adapting an enabling approach to maximise independence.

“We have worked on the idea of the service for several years and post pandemic we had discussions with local health and social care.

“It was agreed there was a need for a service like this and so we are piloting the idea and hopefully providing a much-needed service for the borough.”

For more information on the role, or to apply, please download the PDF enclosed.

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