A pioneering new Leeds service designed to avoid unnecessary admission to hospital or residential care and to support people to leave hospital sooner opened its doors to patients this week.
The South Leeds Independence Centre is the city’s first intermediate care unit, providing 40 community intermediate care beds.
The centre, which was formerly the council-run residential care home Harry Booth House, has been extensively refurbished and will provide person-centred care, focused on rehabilitation and promoting independence.
The team at the centre is made up of health and social care professionals including nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and care assistants, with access to dieticians, joint care managers and medical practitioners for specialist input.
Through joint health and social care commissioning and by staff working together more closely in a community setting, it is hoped fewer people will need to go to hospital or residential care and those who do will receive support and care so they can live more independently for longer in their own home or local community.
The unit is jointly commissioned by Leeds City Council and NHS Leeds South and East CCG, with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust as the lead provider.
The new integrated team has been on site since mid-March undertaking training and getting the new facility ready to receive patients. As a team they have developed a set of patient care standards, which they have all signed up to and will be a key part of how they deliver the new service.
Talking about the new SLIC today, Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive board member responsible adult social care in Leeds said:
“I am delighted that the South Leeds Independence Centre has opened its doors to patients this week. “The SLIC is a really big step forward in achieving our aim to provide services that are responsive and proactive in preventing older people from needing more intense care and support services following an illness or stay in hospital.
“Leeds City Council is committed to creating better lives for older people in the city, and will continue to work in partnership with our partners in health to deliver improved outcomes for people in our care.”
