Norfolk and Waveney Community Support Service
Norfolk and Waveney Community Support Service provides short-term, practical support for people to support discharge and help avoid hospital admission.
We support:
- Patients being discharged on Pathway Zero to help them return to the community safely
- People in the community to help with temporary issues and avoid hospital admittance.
Support is short-term (typically 2 – 4 weeks). It is provided by a team of volunteers and staff across Norfolk and Waveney. When we recruit our volunteers, we undertake safer recruitment checks. The volunteers are DBS checked and trained in data protection, safeguarding, health and safety, and lone working.
The Norfolk and Waveney Community Support Service team of staff and volunteers can help on a temporary basis with a variety of tasks, including:
Pre and post discharge support
- Pre-discharge home assessment (e.g. safety checks, identify adaptations)
- Pre-discharge home preparation (e.g. checking if the heating is on, or cleaning the fridge)
- Welfare call check-ins following discharge
- Checking food is available
Support with daily activities
- Medication or prescription pick-up
- Food shopping (or supporting client to do so) or pick-up
- Light household jobs (e.g. hang out washing, tidy kitchen)
- Dog walking
- Support organising follow-up health and social care appointments and arranging to transport to get there
Wellbeing
- Encouragement and reminders to follow health or exercise plans
- Physical activities to prevent deconditioning, aid recovery or falls prevention
- Support identifying and attending community groups or services
- Emotional support/ building confidence
Support accessing services
- Support with referrals into/ accessing other services for support (e.g. information and advice)
- Digital literacy support (e.g. help with getting online, online shopping, booking appointments online or using email/ texting/ video calls)
Please be aware support is short-term (typically 2 – 4 weeks). We cannot accept requests for personal care, respite or support for those with complex needs.