Ageing Well Phase 2 Report

Urgent Community Response (UCR) is a key component of the NHS strategy to reduce hospital admissions by responding to people’s urgent care and support needs in the place they call home.  The response aims to have clinicians attend within two hours of a call being received for urgent clinical needs, or within 48hours for reablement needs and is delivered by Enhanced Practitioners (Community - EPCs) and, where appropriate, community nursing staff. 

The aim of this study was to determine how the Urgent Community Response was working for service users and staff, and whether the recommendations from the previous report in 2021 had been implemented and, if so, had an impact.  We spoke with twenty service users, carers or relatives and eighteen UCR staff as well as five general practitioners (GPs).

The report examines what works well, what could be better and offers conclusions and recommendations.

Anita Cornelius, Integrated Care Director for Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust says:

“This insightful report enables us to understand more about the experiences of people accessing Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Urgent Community Response, which aims to keep people safe and well at home. It also includes valuable feedback from the wide range of staff who provide this crucial service.  Working alongside Healthwatch Cornwall enables us to be an NHS trust that ‘listens’ and, in response, continually improve our services.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Healthwatch Cornwall, to implement the recommendations, and with our partners, deliver a health and care service that works for local communities.”