Stort Valley Healthcare appointed as lead provider in new care home pilot
A primary care-led service to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of frail care home residents in East and North Hertfordshire will launch on 1 April 2025.
The Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH) service brings together a multidisciplinary team including clinical colleagues, care home managers, system partners and care home residents, to deliver care with the aim of keeping care home residents out of hospital. The service has been developed based on learning from a previous service.
The two-year pilot service will be led by Stort Valley Healthcare Ltd as the lead provider, with Garden House Hospice Care and East and North Hertfordshire primary care networks supporting the delivery of the service as part of the multidisciplinary team. It aims to improve the quality of life of care home residents by putting their needs and wishes at the heart of proactive care planning. It will enable them to connect with their loved ones, their local community and promote independence through to the end of their lives. At the end of life, the service - working in partnership with all local providers - will support them to die where they wish, including palliative and end of life care.
Residents’ carers and loved ones will be involved in the planning and delivery of their care where appropriate.
The service supports the ICB’s ambition to reduce A&E admissions as a result of frailty and will ensure patient records are kept up to date to plan and facilitate their wishes.
By working together as one team and sharing best practice, the service will also tackle health inequalities among the care home resident population, reduce the number of residents who need to go to hospital by ambulance and prevent residents attending A&E when they do not need to by training and supporting care home staff.
Our new and existing Frailty Care Home Support Team members
Steve Collins, Director of Operations at the Hospice said:
“We are pleased to announce that Garden House Hospice Care has been awarded a new contract that allows us to significantly expand our Care Home Support Service across East and North Hertfordshire.
“Our service will now extend across 400 square miles, increasing from 900 to 3,900 Nursing and Residential beds. This expansion is a testament to the outstanding care and dedication our team has demonstrated over the last four years.
“To support this growth, we will be welcoming seven new team members on the 1st of April 2025, who will be joining us from Hertfordshire Community Trust. These new colleagues will bring valuable skills and expertise to our already exceptional team, and we hope you join us in giving them a warm welcome.
“This expansion not only supports our mission to deliver high-quality care to a larger population, but also builds upon the incredible foundations laid by Tanya, Maddie, Annie, and Nicola. Their commitment and hard work have been instrumental in the success of our service, and we are excited to continue building on this success together.”