Out-of-hours social care in Blackburn and Darwen is a success

COUNCIL bosses have hailed the success of a new service for people needing out-of-hours social care.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Out of Hours Integrated Service (OOHIS), which has been running since November, has already prevented more than 50 unnecessary admissions to hospital or care homes.

The service provides a single point of contact and uses the expertise of health and social care professionals to provide assessment, signposting and referral for users.

If someone suffers a minor fall at home, for example, paramedics can refer the patient to OOHIS, which will then set up a series of visits until further support is in place for the longer term.

It also supports hospital discharges to try to avoid people who have just come back from hospital being readmitted again.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, executive member for health and adult social care, said: “The scheme is still in its early days but I am pleased with some of the results we have seen so far.

“This service is a real innovation and an excellent example of the council working with the NHS to benefit people of this borough.

Dr Chris Clayton, clinical chief officer of Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It’s still early in the service’s development but the first results look encouraging.”