A to Z of services

The British Red Cross Home from Hospital service supports Croydon University Hospital patients and Croydon residents during their transition from hospital to home. Our goal is to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, prevent delayed discharges, and promote recovery and independence at home—especially for vulnerable or elderly adults. 

We work alongside hospital and community teams to provide both emotional and practical support, to improve patient wellbeing and flow through the health system.

This is achieved by:

Facilitating early and safe discharge from hospital via a range of activities such as:

•         Conducting home welfare checks and hazard reporting
  
•         Topping up gas and electric meters for safe discharges
•         Accepting deliveries of medical equipment and essential items at the patients` property and giving access for pest control, deep/blitz clean, and key safe and Careline installation
•         Key cutting
•         Helping people settling back home upon their discharge (e.g. emergency food shopping)
•         Providing clothes

Following the hospital discharge, we visit our service users for practical and emotional support for a duration of up to four weeks. The services provided include the following:

•         Developing a support plan with the client focused on agreed goals that promote independence and ensuring safety.
•         Collecting or assisting with shopping and supporting with the use of web-based or telephone shopping services for longer-term.
•         Accompanying to and from outpatient and GP appointments.
•         Offering telephone-based ‘check and chat’ calls to provide reassurance, friendly conversation, companionship, and empathetic listening to reduce social isolation and promote independence.
•         Collecting Prescriptions.
•         Assisting patients in reaching primary and community care services while offering useful contact details.
•         Supporting individuals in exploring further options by liaising with and referring them to statutory, primary, and voluntary sector services. This also involves directing them to community benefits advice services available in the community.

Referral Criteria

We support individuals who are:

•         Aged 18+ and living in Croydon
•         Medically fit for discharge from Croydon University Hospital or A&E, or recently discharged from the hospital
•         At risk of delayed discharge, hospital readmission, or reduced independence at home
•         Referrals are accepted from health and care professionals, either before or shortly after discharge.

How Much Will It Cost?

This service is free of charge.

How to Access This Service

Referrals can be made by health and care professionals by completing a referral form.

The referral form can be accessed here:  Support at Home - Referral Form V1.1.docx.

Alternatively, you may reach out to our team by contacting us via email or phone using the contact information provided above.

Upon receiving a referral, we will acknowledge its receipt and schedule an assessment with the referee/client within 48 hours or within the week based on their needs and requirements or service capacity. A personalised support plan will be developed in collaboration with them.