Good Hope Hospital has launched a six-month pilot that will help patients needing extra support to return home from hospital sooner.

The Supported Integrated Discharge (SID) service includes a team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, therapy support and social workers and working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, the service offers patients extra support to get back home.

Once it has been decided that a patient is medically fit and can return home, the team will discuss any ongoing care needs with the patient and ensure the right level of support is arranged. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessment and treatment are offered for up to 10 days to promote recovery in the home, rather than on a hospital ward.

Award-winning SID teams have already been successfully introduced at Heartlands and Solihull Hospitals and have helped hundreds of patients return home sooner, with a better overall experience through a more streamlined discharge and re-enablement process.

Dawn Orton, therapy lead at Good Hope Hospital, said: “We’ve already introduced SID in Heartlands and Solihull Hospitals with great success and we’re excited about the prospect of getting Good Hope patients home sooner with therapies support.”

Councillor Paulette Hamilton, cabinet member for health and social care, said: “It is so much better for someone’s wellbeing if they can recuperate at home rather than stay in hospital. Giving people the specialist support they need at home is not only good for the patient, it frees-up much-needed bed space at hospital. This has worked really well elsewhere so I am sure it will be a real boost for the people of Birmingham.”