Whittington launches the first Pan London Hospital at Home forum
26 May 2017
On Tuesday 16th May the very first Pan London Hospital at Home (H@H) forum was launched by the Whittington Health.
Children’s H@H services from across the capital met to exchange ideas and learn how they can work together to help reduce length of stay and prevent admission for children who require acute nursing care.
The H@H service provides nursing care in the home for acutely unwell babies, children and young people and works on helping them leave hospital earlier in order to have a more comfortable patient experience at home.
Prior to 2014 no teams like this existed in London. Since the Islington team formed in 2014, four teams across London were subsequently developed and the number continues to grow.
The aim of the forum is to gather ideas, share information and strengthen the model to encourage other trusts to develop their own H@H models across the boroughs.
In attendance were H@H teams from Evelina Children’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS trust and our very own Islington H@H team. A special guest, Sandra Reading, Director of Women and Children’s services at the Healthy London Partnership, also attended.
Sandra Reading was impressed with the range of models across the capital but realised that there was more work to be done to promote the services and expand into other areas. The need for a career development pathway was discussed; as well as peer support to develop competencies and promote quality. One of the most impressive facts shared by the group was the consistent 100% positive patient feedback achieved by each team. Zoe Tribble, matron for the H@H team at the Whittington said:
“The first Pan London Hospital at Home forum is a sign of changing times within the world of community and acute children’s nursing. It was incredible to see the passion and dedication of the other service leads to offer expert nursing care to children at home. By working together, we will ensure that the offer of a Hospital at Home service becomes the expectation, not the exception.”
The forum will meet quarterly and its members will spend time with each of the services to get a better idea of how their services are run. This will promote cohesive working and robust governance across the teams. The forum will be presenting at the ‘Transforming Out of Hospital Care’ Event in Islington on the 22nd June. Free Tickets are available via the Eventbrite website.
Last updated08 Sep 2017