A hospital co-ordinator’s role

CHS Healthcare is “part of the team” at Good Hope Hospital, where the service has run for 12 years.

Jane Alderson, Hospital Co-ordinator for the hospital in Sutton Coldfield, joins social workers and the Discharge Planning Team for weekly meetings.

Jane provides weekly reports on progress with placements for patients and is alerted to “early days” patients, who may require support from CHS Healthcare in the near future.

“It can take, on average, at least 18 different phone calls and meetings to arrange an appropriate placement,” explains Jane.

“There is a large amount of information going backwards and forwards all the time. My role is to join any gaps – to do the information gathering and spreading to ensure everyone involved is informed.”

Jane worked for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau before joining CHS Healthcare in 1999 as an adviser before becoming a Hospital Co-ordinator.

She manages a team of six advisers, covering a wide geographical area including the whole of the north of Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Lichfield and Tamworth.

“Our advisers work during the evening and weekends, which is really important, as families may be at work and need to discuss care homes at times which suit them.

“This flexibility is a big part of the service, along with the caring, personal approach we take to every family.

“Many of our advisers are former nurses, or have worked in homes themselves, or come from backgrounds with key listening and caring skills.

“You become closely involved in supporting families at a very stressful time and can build close relationships. I remember calling a family I had helped to find out about A Level results – you get to know them so well.”

A Social Services spokesman added: “The support of CHS Healthcare to the hospital social workers has been invaluable in our quest to discharge patients safely and to the most appropriate home. Their services have always been highly professional and ethically sound.”