Abstract

Background: The Community Rehabilitation Outreach Team provide specialist support to patients in the community with long-term neurological conditions or following major trauma. During August 2014 the service was expanded and in June 2015 United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust approached the University of Lincoln to conduct an evaluation to examine the views of patients and carers using the service.
Methods: The evaluation consisted of a patient experience survey (n=123) and four focus groups (n=15) conducted across Lincolnshire.
Results: Patients were very positive about the time that the Outreach Team spent with them and the support they received. The number of home visits had increased and the benefits of these were stressed by patients. They also emphasised the wider impact the service had had on their quality of life. The majority of focus group participants were new to the service and were unable to comment on any changes which may have occurred since the expansion had taken place.
Conclusion: The evaluation found the Outreach Team to be held in high regard by patients and carers who valued the time spent with them and the service they received. The results have subsequently been used to enable the service to secure permanent funding.