Back on track: finding out about users’ experiences of reablement, rapid response and intermediate care

Healthwatch Bucks carried out interviews with ten people to find out about their experiences using Reablement and the Rapid Response and Intermediate Care services.

As the Reablement service and the Rapid Response and Intermediate Care services in Buckinghamshire were in the process of aligning and joining together, this work was done to find out more about people’s experiences to inform the services about what they were doing well and what they could do better.

The report identified that most of the people spoken to: knew who had made the decision to arrange their care; did not fully understand what the service was for; did not feel very involved in the planning of their support; recommended the service and support staff very highly; and felt sad when the support from the service came to an end, with some feeling worried about future care. Some of the people spoken to: did not feel the service(s) met their needs; would have liked support staff to have more time; were unclear about the support available for those with long term conditions and terminal illnesses; and talked about their care record book.

Healthwatch Bucks made recommendations for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and Buckinghamshire County Council to: improve information given to service users on who made the decision to arrange their care; improve service users understanding of the service; involve service users in the planning of their support more; improve the user experience of support coming to an end; and improve the service user experience of support staff providing their support.