The Elderly People's Integrated Care System
EPICS In Practice
North Kensington
The Westway Centre is a multi purpose resource centre built under the Westway motorway. It has day care, clinics, restaurant and a multi-disciplinary staff team including nurses, social workers, therapists, consultants, and care workers (who work with people in their own homes as well as in the centre). There are over 1,000 members and 250 come each day, they are involved in the management of the centre. There is a wide range of activities and services including health promotion and health checks, reflexology, massage and beauty therapy. The centre is also used as a training site for multi-skilled workers
Westway Centre EPICS
2-4 Malton Street
London W10 5UB
Telephone: 020 7598 4600
Derby
The EPICS centres are based in 6 residential care homes providing integrated care to older people in their locality. Of particular interest is the way in which staff work, a core team from all the agencies meets weekly and all referrals are channelled through the team.
Early in the development of EPICS, there was an interesting example of the way in which locality-based staff found sensible solutions to difficult situations without recourse to a complicated bureaucratic procedure. When community nurses were helping someone who needed more support than could be given at home, a direct arrangement with the Officer in Charge of the residential home was made, so that they could be looked after in the home. The nurses gave the (additional) specialist support required, and trained the home's care workers who provided the 24-hour care.
Social Services Department
29 St Marys Gate
Derby DE1 3NU
Telephone: 01332 717 200
Shropshire
Here the approach is county-wide involving social services and health staff. There is a shared assessment used by both organisations and joint commissioning at county and local levels. Of special note are demonstration projects with GP practices to improve co-ordination between primary care staff and social workers. The Meres Day Centre in Ellesmere has been established in a former cottage hospital.
Social Services Department
The Shire Hall
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury SY2 6ND
Telephone: 01743 253 779
A number of projects have taken the EPICS philosophy and developed their own schemes:
South Buckinghamshire EPICS
has concentrated on the financial benefits of EPICS and has attracted considerable attention from policy makers and government reports. Its strap line is 'Re-engineering the provision of health and social care for older people through collaborative working. New Ways with Old Services'.
There is a coordinator and care workers in the home support team. Anyone can make a referral and GPs are fully involved. In the first two years, 402 people were helped (11.5% of people over 65 registered with the GP practice), of whom: 60% received a rapid response to provide immediate support and 40% received preventative, holistic care. A clinical audit of 'over 65 admissions' to hospitals suggested that 1354 bed-days a year could have been saved by a referral to EPICS.
Marlow EPICS Project
Marlow Community Hospital
Glade Road
Marlow
Buckinghamshire SL7 1DJ
Telephone: 01628 471 348
The Glebe Field Project in Crich, Derbyshire
draws on the EPICS framework and received development support from Derby EPICS. A new Day Care and Community Centre was opened in September 1997. It was initiated by the local GP and provides day care, therapy and nursing services, meals, information and telephone link. It is a focal point for village activities and groups of all ages. The adjacent old vicarage will provide respite care and new high support sheltered housing is close by.
The Glebe Field Project
The Medical Centre
Dimple Head
Crich
Derbyshire DE4 5EP
Telephone: 01773 852 035