Urgent Community Response Team (UCRT) South West
The Urgent Community Response Team South West is a joint initiative across Mid & South Essex consisting of teams from Provide, NELFT and EPUT, working closely with the East of England Ambulance service ( EEAST). The UCR South West team covers Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock localities.
The service responds to physical health crisis for patients in their own homes , which includes nursing and residential care homes, to avoid admission to hospital or the need for new 24 hour care. The team will support patients to remain in their usual place of residence during an acute episode of illness or urgent social care crisis, or those experiencing a sudden decline in mobility , function or have experienced a fall. The UCRT are able to provide a range of nursing and or therapy interventions and equipment to optimise functional ability and safety at home.
The service consists of :- senior nurse assessors, independent non-medical prescribers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists , generic support workers and in Thurrock locality only , social workers and support planners.
The UCRT service also has access to a secondary care consultant helpline.
Service address:-
UCRT
Craylands Clinic
Craylands
Basildon
SS14 3RR
UCRT Thurrock Office
John Tallock Centre
Thurrock Community Hospital
Long Lane, Grays
RM16 2PX
Operational Lead UCRT South West: Barbara Spinns
You can find out more about our service in this video: Urgent Community Response Team video
Patient information
How can a patient access UCRT South West
Patients can access the UCRT via the UCR Single Point of Access (UCRT SPA) by telephoning 0344 257 3951 or by contacting their own GP.
The URCT clinical teams operate from 8am to 10pm, 7 days per week including bank holidays , however , please note, referrals are only accepted up until 8.00pm.
On receipt of the referral the nursing staff aim to respond within 2 hours, although this may be longer according to available clinicians and the reason for the referral. Therapy referrals will be responded to with 24 hours.
NELFT SPA Operational Hours: 8am-8pm (7 days per week including bank holidays)
Tel: 0344 257 3951 UCR Single Point of Access
For clinicians
How can I make a referral to the UCRT?
Clinicians can access UCRT 7 days a week, between the hours of 8am – 8pm by calling 0344 257 3951.
All calls are answered by a call handler and passed to a senior clinician who will triage the individual patient case and advise if the patient is suitable to be seen by the UCRT or is appropriate for another service.
The UCRT will contact patients with 2 hours of receiving a referral and can support patients for up to 48 hours ongoing monitoring of observations and treatments to ensure the patients remain safe at home.
If at any point the patient deteriorates and can no longer safely be managed at home, then the UCRT will coordinate a safe transfer to hospital for further assessment and admission if this is required.
Inclusion criteria
This list is not exhaustive and we would encourage you to call and discuss each case individually:-
- All patients must be registered with a GP within the mid and south Essex area (including temporary residents)
- Simple infections
- Minor illness and ailments
- Urgent (non-acute) medical requirements
- Falls / frailty / vulnerability
- Simple trauma related wounds
- Non-emergency respiratory conditions
- Exacerbation of long-term conditions
- Non-injury falls (assistance from the floor)
- Urgent bloods to guide diagnosis
- Non-routine catheter management
- Urgent provision of equipment i.e. commodes, walking frames & pressure relieving equipment
- Urgent social care crisis
- Urgent end of life crisis
Exclusion criteria
- Under 18 years of age
- Acute Medical Emergency (e.g. sepsis)
- Falls with suspected fracture or reduced consciousness, suspected trauma to head and on anticoagulant therapy
For mental health crisis please call NHS 111 Option 2
All of the above criteria can be found on the Directory of Services (DoS)