DRUMCLAY Care Home, which is due to reopen again in the near future, will be a type of ‘halfway house’ for patients, acting as a bridge between hospital and home, according to the Western Trust.
Around half of inpatients at SWAH over the age of 70 at any given time, and many over the age of 85. After the Enniskillen nursing home closed last December even more older patients were admitted to the hospital despite not being acutely ill, simply because no care beds were available for them.
Having taken over Drumclay as part of the Pathfinder project, the Trust have now said the facility could provide “a new model” in community care. Deputy chief executive Kieran Downey, who is outgoing head of Pathfinder, said it was the Trust’s ambition to “mover our hospitals closer to our communities” and to provide opportunities to connect services to communities, such as through reducing loneliness or helping older patients live independently.
“The Drumclay Care Facility project provides an opportunity to breathe life into the concept of Connected Communities,” he said, adding they would also be providing residential nursing care. “It will facilitate this link by transitioning patients from the hospital to the community and preparing them to return home.”
Dr Bob Brown, director of primary care and older people’s services, said the team was looking forward to providing what he called “transition beds” to help patients return to the community.
“This will help people who, at times, may have had to wait too long in hospital and this really is a pioneering and innovative service provision that the Trust is very keen to develop quickly,” he said.
Dr Brown added the Trust were continuing to seek staff for Drumclay and across the service.
“Our ability to find the best range of staff available for such a ground-breaking project is very much on our minds now and there are a number of excellent opportunities available, particularly for the bed-based posts in the facility,” he said.
“We would love to hear from anyone interested in joining us in our ambitious vision for the future of providing local services for local people, such as we plan to have in Drumclay.”
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