Integrated Community Services (ICS)
OVERVIEW:
The Integrated Community Service (ICS) brings together NHS staff based in the community with local council health and adult social care staff to provide support to patients in their place of residence. Patients being discharged after hospital care who need support in the community will be referred directly to the ICS team to coordinate and provide the different care that they might need.
- About Us
The aim of the ICS team is to improve the coordination of care and services for patients who need health or social care support in the community.
That makes it easier for the staff involved and the patients.
Traditionally these teams have worked in isolation to provide services for patients, so it makes sense to bring them together to better coordinate care for Wigan patients and design a care package around them that is based on their specific needs.
The aim is to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital and break down barriers between health and social care.
The team also care for those patients who need rapid intervention if an illness gets worse to prevent them needing to be admitted to hospital where possible. For those patients who do need some hospital care, the team provide the necessary support to ensure a safe and timely discharge back into the community.
- Who works in the team?
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wigan Council are working together with Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group, and North West Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to deliver the service.
Services the team are now providing include district nurses, podiatrists (foot care specialists), dietitians, occupational therapists, continence teams, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. They work closely alongside adult social care teams.
The team also focus on supporting patients with long-term illnesses including cellulitis, respiratory and cardiac conditions and urine infections. Quick intervention in the community can prevent patients with these conditions needing to be admitted to hospital if they worsen.
The ICS team work from local bases in Ashton, Wigan and Leigh.
- Contact Details
Patients are be able to contact the team directly to access all these community services or raise queries about community care they are receiving through one convenient phone number 01942 483 483.