Brain Injury Team Early Discharge Scheme

The Gloucestershire Brain Injury Team is a team of therapists working with adults who have a brain injury. The team is made up of psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists with support from therapy technicians. The experienced team can support an early discharge from hospital or rehabilitation unit and work with patients to help them achieve the best possible recovery.

EDS is for patients who need specialist brain injury therapy and who are likely to benefit from this for up to 12 weeks, such as:
• Inpatients who would benefit from high intensity, continued therapy in their home or other suitable setting.
• Patients who are currently receiving therapy at an out of county unit, whose therapy goals would be better met within their home or other suitable setting. Individual patients will need to be considered by the team, to make sure that they fall within the remit of the service offered.
Different options need to be found for patients who are likely to need a much longer period of intensive specialist rehabilitation.

The EDS is a programme of intensive therapy which is delivered over a 6 week period, which can then be followed by another 6 week block if needed. It is designed to enable people who have had a brain injury to return home sooner by providing specialist rehabilitation in a home setting rather than an acute hospital ward or rehabilitation unit.

The intensity level of the therapy will be higher in the first 6 weeks. A goal review meeting will take place with the patient and their family at the end of the first 6 weeks.

At the end of the early discharge scheme another review meeting will take place to discuss the patient’s progress so far and to decide whether any further outpatient therapy is needed.

• Patients who are medically stable and no longer have a tracheostomy (unless this is permanent or in place long term).
• Patients who are out of post traumatic amnesia.
• Patients posing no significant risk to themselves or others; for example, patients scoring low on the head injury risk assessment.
• Patients who have a feeding regime in place.
• Patients who have good support available, such as family or a care package.
• Patients who need specialist brain injury therapy.
• Patients and families who can cope with the intensity level of therapy in their home/place of discharge.

• Patients with other health conditions which would stop them from taking part in due to the intensity of specialist rehabilitation.
• Patients whose needs are already being met elsewhere.
• Patients who have suffered a stroke (a separate stroke service exists).

Patients will have a therapist assigned to them, who will be the first point of contact for the patient and their family to talk about brain injury therapy. The therapist will arrange meetings for all concerned to discuss the goals achieved so far and to agree on future therapy goals/needs.

The Gloucestershire Brain Injury Team work from Monday to Friday; each patient will be given a weekly timetable which will outline their therapy programme.

Patients are treated in their own home/residential setting whenever possible, but therapists may need to work with them in their local community or in the hospital outpatient department to achieve their goals.

The team are aware that once patients are discharged home their family carers often give a lot of physical and emotional support to their relatives. This can sometimes be a challenge, so the team will aim to support family members and carers to get used to new routines.

If the patient still has goals to work towards, they will be seen by their therapist as an outpatient.

If you have any queries or would like further information, please contact:

The Gloucestershire Brain Injury Team

Tel: 0300 422 5138

Tel: 0300 422 5139

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm

Email: ghn-tr.braininjuryteam.admin@nhs.net