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Better Community Care
Local communities already play a key role in ensuring that people receive the care they need. 'Good neighbouring' schemes involve people keeping an eye on those who are known to be frail and vulnerable and taking action to alert health services if there is a problem. First Responder schemes have proved invaluable in responding to emergency calls and supporting patients until the ambulance service is able to arrive.
The concept of 'extended community care' will look to build upon these successes. Health and social care professionals in both the NHS and other organisations working in local communities will support people to look after their own health and get access to appropriate professional care and advice when this required. By working together in what are known as Extended Community Care Teams, they will aim to spot potential health problems and step in before things get worse. This might take many forms but could, for example, see home visits by professionals working for the Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure that people are managing to support themselves in their homes.
Where people have already been diagnosed with a long-term condition such as diabetes or heart disease, the aim will be to support and help them to manage their condition at home rather than in hospital. This requires patients to be given the right information on how to manage their conditions and how to seek additional help where it is needed. It might also involve the introduction of new technology to enable simple tests to be carried out without patients needing to leave their own home or community.
Teams of doctors and nurses, working in partnership with NHS 24, will provide advice and treatment for patients outside normal working hours. When emergencies occur, patients will be assessed to decide where they will receive the best and most appropriate care.
The emphasis on prevention wherever possible also applies to mental health and new ways of managing mental health problems will be encouraged. A good example of this is the work of guided self-help workers in NHS Highland, who identify people in the early stages of depression and help prevent the condition getting worse. Members of the Extended Community Care Team will also be responsible for supporting people experiencing mental health emergencies before they are admitted to hospital.
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