Pictured (left to right): John Moorhouse, Daryl Holden, Donna Chadwick, Professor Willett, Gail Smith, Cath Flanagan, Wendy Finley-Mulligan, Donna Uttley, Ian Walmsley, Louise Davies, Rachel Gilmore.
ELHT’s groundbreaking Falls Response Service, operated in partnership with North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS), received a major seal of approval last week during a visit by Professor Keith Willett, Medical Director, Acute Care & Emergency Preparedness NHS England.
Professor Willett’s visit to the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital following the Royal College of Occupational Therapist's second publication, 'Reducing the Pressure on Hospitals - 12 months on', in which the East Lancashire Falls Response Service was featured.
Professor Willett met the ELHT and NWAS staff who run the Falls Response Service and chatted to them about progress to date and ideas for further progression, before spending the afternoon out in the community visiting patient homes to see the team in action.
"The Professor was very interested in the reduction in the number of patients conveyed to hospital and how the team interlinked with other services in the community,” said Head of Acute Therapies, Louise Davies.
“In particular, he was very impressed with the number of health, social care and voluntary services the team linked with to keep people at home and prevent them from being admitted to hospital, and the vast range of services that are available within the Pennine Lancashire footprint.”
“I'm so grateful for all the individual contributions, obvious energy and purpose your team and the ambulance service were rightly proud to show yesterday,” said Professor Willett following his visit.
"Please do pass this on by way of a thank you for colleague's time and be assured you will all be my best exemplar for a least the next year.”