These diverse and locally variable services are provided from clinics, health centres, community hospitals, care homes and in patients’ own homes.
Community health services
These diverse and
locally variable services are provided from clinics, health centres, community
hospitals, care homes and in patients’ own homes. They are an important element
in the healthcare of many older people, of people living with disabilities, of
families with young children and of people living with long-term conditions.
The recipients of CHS are often among the most vulnerable members of the
community.
Regardless of the
care setting, all patients are entitled to services appropriate to their needs,
that are safe, of high quality and operating within legal and clinical
governance frameworks. CHS can broadly be described as:
·
services generally delivered outwith GP practices and
secondary care by CHS professionals such as community nurses and therapists
working from and in community clinics, community hospitals and other community
sites
·
services that reach across the population such as district
nursing, school health, podiatry, sexual health services and specialist nurses
·
services that help people back into their own homes from
hospital and prevent unnecessary admissions, for example intermediate care,
rehabilitation, ‘virtual wards’ (provision of a ward level of care that
supports earlier discharge from or prevents admission to hospital)
·
services that help individuals and their carers to maintain
and manage ill health or long-term conditions that require support outside GP
practices, for example respite care for children with complex medical conditions,
end-of-life care
·
services provided by specialist services and practitioners,
for example, tuberculosis clinics, community dental services and tissue
viability nurses
·
services that interface with social care, for example,
services supporting those with learning disability are often provided via joint
health and social care teams.
Table 14.1 provides
an example of the range of CHS provided in an urban area.
Related Topics
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