CHS Healthcare launches trusted assessor service in West Midlands

We have launched our first Trusted Assessor service, commissioned in Walsall, West Midlands and commencing in November.

The Trusted Assessor model is recognised as a key means of improving hospital discharge by reducing a major cause of delays.

In this model, which is commissioned by Walsall Council, we provide the Trusted Assessor who carries out assessments of patients in Walsall Manor Hospital and Walsall residents who may be in other Black Country Hospitals, such as New Cross and Russell’s Hall.

A Trusted Assessor carries out assessments of hospital patients on behalf of care homes, who need to consider what the patient’s needs are and whether they would be able to meet those needs.

“A very important principle is that the assessment is independent and trusted,” said Harry Bourton, Regional Manager for CHS Healthcare, Midlands.

“We are widely recognised with a twenty-year track record of co-ordinating care between hospital and community care providers. In our clinical services division, we employ many experienced nurses and clinical experts.

“We are independent of hospitals and care homes and importantly, trusted by both.”

One of the main causes of delay to hospital discharge is the time taken by care homes to carry out assessments of individuals who are in hospital and are transferring out into 24-hour care.

Kate Tatton, Business Manager for CHS Healthcare, Midlands, said: “It can be challenging for care homes to send a senior manager out to do a hospital-based assessment, particularly if they are very busy, or there are staff absences, or if the hospital where the individual is located is a long distance from the care home.

“However, most homes won’t accept an individual without seeing and assessing them themselves, so sometimes there can be a significant number of days between an assessment being requested and the assessment taking place.

“There are clear advantages to the Trusted Assessor Model: providing an independent assessment that is trusted and saves care homes from having to take a significant time out of their service to travel to hospital.”

We have developed a Trusted Assessor tool for this purpose, encompassing all the information that is needed by care homes when considering an admission: mental capacity, behaviour, physical and social needs.