Services

Care Home Support Team

Our population is ageing and people are staying in their own homes for longer. This means that when a person moves into an elderly care home, there needs are often increasingly complex. Kirklees Care Home Support Team (CHST) are a multidisciplinary team that consists of nurses, clinical assistants, pharmacists, dietitians, physiotherapists, supported by consultant Geriatricians from our local hospitals.  Our aim is to improve the quality of clinical support for residents and carers in older people's care homes across Kirklees and prevent inappropriate admission to hospital and maximise quality of life.

What Our Patients Say

The managers and care-staff of our care homes have appreciated the team’s specialist support and provided lots of positive feedback to the service:

“If we have any concerns about a service user we look at the baseline observations  that are provided within the emergency care plan and all staff have fed back that they find it a lot easier updating or formulating care plans with the in depth information provided from the care home support team.”

“Any concerns with changes to medication after a hospital admission -  when the Care Home Support team attend these can be raised and addressed immediately.”


Hospital admission can in some cases be burdensome and cause anxiety and distress if a person lives with advanced dementia or is very physically frail.  Robust advance plans have prevented residents from repeated hospital admission and in many cases enabled a calm, peaceful, death in an environment that they call their home.

“Communication with Yorkshire ambulance services or other medical professionals has been so easy with all information collated Within the Emergency care plan.”

“Advance planning also has been brilliant, discussions held with families which are clear and concise within these emergency care plans for staff to follow and have a clear understanding of when service users wish to be taken into hospital or a best interest decision has been made.”


Residents and their families have appreciated the opportunity to talk about their future wishes and priorities and be involved in health care decisions.  

“The CHST went above and beyond to help me access services I needed to help my mum who had dementia.“

“The team had never met me but explained everything we could expect in the final stages of mum’s life. Not an easy discussion to have but the team assured me that all the concerns we had as a family would be taken care of and mum would pass away peacefully without pain or distress. Not an easy subject to discuss with a complete stranger but the team took away my worries about mum and explained everything in a way I could understand with genuine empathy. Thank you.”

“I have had advice, help and support from nearly everyone within the team in regard to my mum who has got advanced mixed dementia. They have supported her but they have also been a huge support to me and I am forever grateful for everything they have done for me and my mum. No words can describe what a great team they all are.”

Meet the Team

Advanced Nurse Practitioners:

  • Sandra Kiritschenko
  • Jill Stancliffe
  • Liz Coupland

Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner:

  • Serena Aslam Ali

Senior Nurses:

  • Phil Russell
  • Julia Waud
  • Kirsty Stubbings

Nurses:

  • Jen Coombs
  • Sharon Williams
  • Ligi Malayil
  • Suzanne Vear
  • Julie Williams

Pharmacists:

  • Sally Campbell
  • Laura Gardiner
  • Zainab Ali

Physiotherapist:

  • Samantha Breedon

Dietitian:

  • Layla Brown

Dietetic Assistant Practitioner: 

  • Tayba Zeb

Assistant Practitioner: 

  • Natalie Robinson

Clinical Assistants:

  • Hannah Trotter
  • Sue Glew

Contact

The team receives referrals from GPs, care-homes, hospitals and social workers or friends/relatives.  

If you have a relative who is newly admitted to an elderly care home. the service is available within the core hours of Monday - Friday 8.30am to 5pm.

If you would like to contact the Care Home Support team please phone our dedicated phone line: 030 3003 4347.

Click here to access our referral form

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