Ready Response Team makes a difference in the community

In the two years that VCH-Coastal Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Honey has been seeing patients in their homes as part of her role as Rapid Response NP, she’s treated hundreds of patients. While she’s been able to help many clients avoid unwanted trips to acute care, there were several who didn’t quite need the intense medical attention of acute care, but still weren’t able to safely care for themselves in their own home.

The challenge was placing home support resources immediately – something that can be extremely difficult given the increasing demands on the Home & Community Health staff.

That’s where a great idea and a generous LGH Foundation donation from North Vancouver’s Brain family came together into a sure-fire success story: the North Shore Ready Response Team. This team of five, seasoned Home Support Community Health Workers is specially trained and equipped to respond to urgent, short-term home care requests from Jennifer within hours, enabling clients whose medical needs aren’t acute to avoid an unwanted trip to LGH Emergency.

“Response from clients on this approach, as well as the Ready Response Team, has been fantastic and it’s really cost-effective,” says Jennifer. “Any time we can save the system $1,200 per day for an acute care stay while the client stays in their home where they’re comfortable is a win-win. But it wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t able to get our donors’ support to trial this approach.”

Like in the case of a 102-year-old woman who needed a little extra help recovering from an infection. Previously living independently at home, she received collaborative medical attention from both her GP and the NP, and urgently needed home support that kept her safe and independent, and free of complications while she recovered. Months later, she still lives at home and now accesses NS Home and Community Care services for regular home support.

Now, as they approach the one-year mark, the team has streamlined its process and is working together like a well-oiled machine. And the results have been heartwarming for the Brain family who donated the funds to enable the pilot of this innovative approach.

For more information on the Ready Response Team, contact Joya Gamache or Jennifer Honey.

LGH Foundation donors Roger and Sharon Brain are thrilled by the success generated through the Ready Response Team approach.