A TEAM which is starting to transform care for elderly people in Shropshire stars in a new video by NHS England which will be showcased across the country.

The frailty intervention team, known as FIT, was originally started as an idea by Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who buy local health services, and The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), to help local elderly people avoid being admitted onto a hospital ward where they risk lengthier stays and recovery periods.

Working together with the Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and Shropshire Council a new team combining health and social care professionals was formed.

The FIT is a fast track service to get frailer patients older than 75 quickly assessed, treated and discharged safely back to their own homes or as close as, where research shows patients make a better, and quicker, recovery.

Dr Finola Lynch, GP and frailty lead at Shropshire CCG, said: “For an older person sometimes going into hospital is absolutely the right thing to do - but sometimes it isn’t. We know that once a person reaches the age of 80, ten days in hospital is the equivalent of losing ten years of muscle strength.

“As we get older our ability to recover from seemingly minor events like a urinary tract infection or a fall decreases; they hit us harder and we need more time to get back to normal.

“We’re far more likely to recover fully if we can go home or be as close to home as possible, so that we’re near friends and family and the surroundings that make us feel safe and supported.

“FIT is based on frailty models delivered elsewhere but what’s different about it is the particular involvement of the social workers and community matron, who not only support the patient’s discharge but can prevent them from hitting the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department again by supporting them in the community.

“We believe this is the first time a team of its kind has been brought together to deliver this type of care. The way we work together has been seen as a great piece of partnership working by NHS England. FIT really puts Shropshire on the map and showcases the innovative care that our health and social care colleagues are doing together.”

The NHS England video called Roy’s Story was commissioned and produced by NHS England.

It features Roy, aged 90, who lives with wife Doreen 83, and shows how FIT helped him after he had suffered a fall.

Jayne Kearns, his daughter, said: “The team visited dad in hospital and took him under their wing and it’s been fantastic. They’ve very much co-ordinated the care. They arranged a hospital bed to come to the house. It was really heart-warming to see all those different agencies joining up for dad’s health and safety.”