The Joint Community Rehabilitation team (JCR) has been celebrating their 10-year anniversary and taking a look back over what the service has achieved since it formed a decade ago.
This integrated service brings together NHS staff from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and adult social care staff from East Sussex County Council into three teams across the county. They support adults who need short term support to regain their independence while remaining at home, for example by improving their strength and mobility or relearning skills after a hospital stay or illness. The teams include a wide range of professionals, like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, social care workers, and rehabilitation support workers.
JCR forged a close working relationship between adult social care and the NHS several years before the formation of Integrated Care Systems, working in collaboration with a variety of community and hospital services.
JCR support approximately 10,000 clients a year. Here are some comments from former clients:
“Without the JCR service, I would not be here today. I and my family are so thankful for the service during this time, we are forever in your debt.”
“Everybody went out of your way to do what is needed to get me moving and managing my life again.”
“The service is beautiful. It’s like having an old friend visit every day”.
Over the years, JCR has continued to grow and evolve to meet changing needs. It was at the frontline during the pandemic, supporting clients in their own homes who had tested positive for COVID-19.
In the past year, JCR has been involved in supporting hospital discharge pathways within Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and providing rehabilitation services to the population of East Sussex. They have taken a proactive approach to identify suitable people to be seen by the service, increase awareness of the JCR team, improve back-office efficiencies, and speed up discharges. This in turn has helped to relieve pressure on those hospitals by getting people home as quickly as possible, with the right service.
To celebrate the decade of success, the three teams each held events attended by NHS and County Council staff. They offered a chance to reminisce and look back at the early days of JCR, reflect on how far they have come and look forward to the next ten years of leading the way in community-based re-enablement.
If you’d like to know more about each of the three JCR teams, visit East Sussex 1Space: