Urgent Community Response

Our urgent response multidisciplinary service provides help and care for frail people at home. 

  • Urgent Community Response consists of two care model with response times of 2 hours for urgent cases or within 48 hours for less urgent cases.
  • The service will be integrated with existing services including our locality hubs, rapid response and community nursing teams to provide joined up care for appropriate patients (see decision guide below).
  • By avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and helping support patients’ independence there will be a number of benefits realised.
  • This service is available 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (last referral at 4pm), 8am-4pm Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Referrals can be made by GPs and other health care professionals.

The referrals will be managed by the clinical co-ordinator. 

Decision Guide to the Urgent Community Response

A 2hr community based service provided by a multi skilled team to people in their usual place of residence with a very urgent care need requiring a 2 hr response. This involves an assessment and short term interventions lasting up to 72 hrs.  The 2 hr response is designed to prevent hospital admission and this is a national standard.

Inclusion criteria: 

  • Patient identified as at risk of acute hospital admission
  • Registered with an north west Surrey GP
  • Aged 18 or over and a Clinical Frailty Scale 4-9
  • Requiring a response within 2 hours to avoid a hospital admission due to inadequate support at home.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient requires immediate emergency response e.g. life threatening, sepsis
  • Patients requiring a specialist clinical condition pathway e.g. stroke
  • Crisis mental health scenarios for functional diagnosis or dual diagnosis.

The clinical co-ordinator would signpost the referral ensuring a ‘no wrong referral’ approach is implemented.