A service to help older adults live independently after they leave hospital was formally launched by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Anita Ward yesterday (17 October 2011).

The Kenrick Enablement Service is planned and provided jointly by adult social care staff from Birmingham City Council Adults and Communities and occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

The service, based at the Kenrick Centre in Harborne, began in March 2011 and provides enablement support for up to six weeks to help people learn new skills or relearn skills to help them to continue to live independently after they leave hospital. It can also prevent people from needing to move into long-term care.

The The Kenrick Centre is a modern, purpose-built care centre for older people which opened in 2008. On the ground floor is a residential home for people with dementia.

The Kenrick Enablement Service supports people who have had a social-care assessment and meet the conditions for adult social-care support, as long as they have been discharged from one of the following South Birmingham hospitals:

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
• Moseley Hall Hospital
• West Heath Hospital

Kay Fawcett, Chief Nurse at UHB, said: "This service has been a welcome addition to the range of services we can offer to our patients on discharge from hospital and has meant that many more people are now able to return to live in their own homes.  This is in line with our strategy to treat people as individuals and give them the skills they require to live as independently as possible.  Our hospital aims to deliver the best in care, and this shared initiative means that when they leave our care they continue to receive the best.  They deserve nothing less."

Councillor Anderson, Cabinet member for Adults and Communities said: “The Enablement Service can help people who have been discharged from hospital to relearn skills such as washing, dressing and cooking, or learn new ways of doing things so they can be as independent as possible. It is a service that is vital in supporting people to stay independent and stay out of care for longer and perhaps need less intensive ongoing support. This is likely to avoid or delay the need for residential care.”