CSP's work reflected in new NHS community rehab model

The publication of a new community rehabilitation and reablement model, alongside the intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge, represents a landmark moment, says the CSP. They are part of the Intermediate Care programme, the centre piece of the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, a key priority for NHSE and for Integrated Care Boards.

The progress made with the Intermediate Care programme shows the value and impact of the CSP forming rehab alliances in all parts of the UK, strengthening the voice arguing for rehab provision to be prioritised and modernised and co-creating Rehabilitation Best Practice Standards.

Reacting to the new guidance, Rob Yeldham, CSP director of strategy, policy & engagement said: 'The CSP welcomes the publication of both NHS England’s Intermediate Care Framework and new community rehabilitation and reablement model.

'The two documents reflect the model promoted by the Community Rehab Alliance, so mark a significant positive step forward for rehabilitation in England.

'The CSP is proud to see that the work we and our Community Rehab Alliance partners have done to develop new person-centered, multi-condition and multi-profession standards and service models has influenced this new approach.

'We welcome the fact that NHS England has heard us as organisations representing patients, clinicians and researchers in developing the framework and model.

The next phase must be to ensure that this approach is adopted at local level across England. We will need to see appropriate funding for transformation, the development of the rehab workforce and strong local leadership for rehab to translate the national vision to reality in local communities

Rachel Newton, CSP head of policy said: 'Rehabilitation has been the Cinderella of the NHS and social care for too long, which has meant patients being failed and teams under huge pressure with insufficient staff and resources.

'The prominence of rehab in the most politically significant improvement programme for the NHS shows that this is starting to change.'

These new policies have the potential to start giving rehab parity within the whole health system. This is critical to ensuring people get rehab they need to live well and we can start reducing the shocking 20+ years gap in healthy life expectancy across the UK.

Priority actions for ICBs and Trusts in the Intermediate Care framework include appointing AHPs to lead the work and system-level accountability on Integrated Care Boards for implementation.

ICBs are also asked to assess of workforce requirements to deliver the Intermediate Care Model and Framework based on population needs, rather than how things are traditionally done – and making sure this is part of ICB workforce and apprenticeship strategies to grow and develop the registered and non-registered workforce.

Without data, people’s need for rehab and what happens to them after discharge, is invisible. The framework includes measures for gathering and using data to make people’s needs after discharge visible, as well as the value of rehab in reducing demands elsewhere in the system. The 'Making Community Rehabilitation Data Count' report is cited as a key resource in this area.

Rachel Newton added: 'Colleagues in the CSP policy and professional advice teams have been critical to shaping the Intermediate Care programme over the last year. But we know there are no magic wands.

This shift in policy doesn’t immediately role back decades of underfunding and neglect. But it does provide a solid foothold from which physio staff and rehab teams can build

The CSP and Community Rehab Alliance look forward to continuing to work with the NHS and other partners to achieve what the framework and rehab model sets out.