A-Z of Services

Living Independently For Everyone (LIFE) Services

  • Address: 12-18 Lennard Road, Croydon, CR9 2RS
  • Reception phone number: 0208 274 6399/6974

About us

The LIFE team (Living Independently for Everyone)  is a National Initiative that focuses on helping our patients have as much independence as possible following a hospital admission by assessing and caring for them in their home environments. This integrated team consists of Community Intermediate Care Service (CICS), Rapid Response and A&E Liaison from Croydon Health Services and the Croydon Reablement team from Croydon Social Services. The team from health and social care work together on a daily basis to ensure that our  patients have the support from the LIFE team on their discharge from hospital which allows them to recover, reable and rehabilitate in their own homes.

LIFE accommodates people that can be reabled in the community environment either in their own home or in a Step Up/Down intermediate care bed who:

  • Are 18+ years of age
  • Are a resident of Croydon
  • Require a Health and/or Social Care assessment within the community environment
  • Have reablement / rehabilitation potential

For people in their own home:

  • The person is physically safe to be left alone BETWEEN visits
  • The person is cognitively safe to be left alone BETWEEN visits
  • Continence can be managed throughout the day and night
  • Medication can be managed
  • Essential equipment can be put in place

The team

The team includes Community Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Health & Wellbeing Assessors, Reablement Support Workers, Voluntary sector. 

The service also has links to specialist community health staff including a Community Geriatrician. The team will also liaise with your GP and hospital consultant

Referral to service

Life referrals are made from the Ward Therapy and Social work teams or from the A+E Liaison Team from Croydon University.

Contact number

Tel: 0208 274 6399/6974 

Related services

Intermediate Care (CICS), Rapid Response, A&E Liaiason, Reablement and ICN.

Information for patients

The LIFE team will arrange for a care worker to visit as soon as possible after discharge, usually within 2 hours of you arriving home (depending on when you reach home) to help you settle in and ensure that you are okay. Within 24hrs of you arriving home an assessor from the LIFE team will visit and agree a more detailed care plan with you. They will assess your reablement potential and agree the goals you want to achieve over the next few weeks with the service. The team will make sure your home is as safe as possible for you and help you to remain independent.    

Intermediate Care Bed Service

The Intermediate Care Bed Service provides support and rehabilitation for people who are considered unsafe to remain in or return to their own homes but who have the capacity to live at home if provided with suitable support and rehabilitation services.   The service focuses on those who are at high risk of:

  • Prolonged hospital stay
  • Inappropriate admission to acute inpatient care

To refer a patient to an Intermediate Care Bed, the GP should telephone the Single Point of Assessment. Woodside Medical practice provide GP cover for the beds, and the expectation is that clinical responsibility will transfer to that practice on agreement with the referring GP. 

Single Point of Assessment

Telephone: 020 8274 6195 (08.00 to 20.00)

If you would like a representative from the Transforming Adult Community Services team to attend one of your practice meetings or would like more information about the service please contact:

Telephone 020 8274 6423

Rapid Response Service

The Rapid Response Service is a short term medical intervention team to prevent hospital admission. We are  available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days if the year.

All patients are seen within 2 hours where an urgent response from community services is needed to stop an unnecessary hospital admission. Patients are given a medical assessment and a care plan is setup to enable the patient to remain at home. 

Our team consist of nurses, therapists and a geriatrician (consultant specialising in the care of elderly people).

Referral Criteria:

  • Without Rapid Response input, the patient would otherwise need hospital admission
  • Patient must be 18 years of age or over
  • Patient must be registered with a GP within the London boroughs of Croydon
  • Patient must currently be at home in the community (including care home residents)

Types of conditions may include the following (not exclusive):

  • Exacerbation of long term condition which has led to a deterioration in the patient's general condition 
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Skin and subcutaneous tissue infections
  • Intestinal infection or gastroenteritis
  • Superficial injuries or contusion 
  • Joint disorders (non-traumatic)
  • Nausea and vomiting Dizziness/Syncope

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Primary reason for referral is a mental health or drug/alcohol problem.
  • Referrals that can be effectively managed by standard social or health care services within the timeframe required
  • Head Injury

How to refer:

Contact our team where the patient will be triaged to ensure that referral is suitable.

Tel: 07768376832

Referrals can only be made by health or social care professionals involved in the patient's care.

We may also ask you to email supporting information to the team. 

Single Point of Assessment (SPA)

The Single Point of Assessment is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and enables referrers to speak with an experienced community nurse when making a referral to Croydon Health Services community services when the referrer does not know which community service to refer the patient to.

Advice is given on the most appropriate community service for the patient’s needs to maximise patient independence, avoid hospital admission and ensure their health and social care needs are met. 

Advice is given around ALL community services, however, at present only the following services allow referrals to be made using this method:

  • District Nursing
  • Rapid Response
  • Falls
  • Community Matron
  • Continence
  • Domiciliary Physiotherapy
  • Tissue Viability 
  • Health Visitors for Older People 

It is planned that all referrals for all community services will go through the SPA in the near future as the service is developed.

The SPA clinician co-ordinates the referral. One form is required to make a referral to community services.

Single Point of Assessment

Telephone: 020 8274 6195 (08.00 to 20.00)

Telephone 07900 138820 (20.00 to 08.00)

Fax: 020 8274 6463

Email: mhn-tr.SPOC-Assessment@nhs.net

If you would like a representative from the Transforming Adult Community Services team to attend one of your practice meetings or would like more information about the service please contact:

Telephone 020 8274 6423