The Care Home Assessment Team (CHAT) aims to improve the lives and end-of-life care for residents in care homes in Enfield. It is a nurse-led community service which provides rapid response visits or telephone advice at times of crisis, and works with residents, families and care home staff to make end-of-life care plans and stabilise long-term conditions.

The team allow residents to remain in their care home, but come out to visit them. They are able to assess, diagnose and treat complex physical and mental health in a residents care home.

The service provides:

• holistic assessment (including telephone assessment)
• scheduled and unscheduled care
• rapid response visits at time of crisis
• treatment and symptom management for acute conditions
• palliative and end-of-life care
• health education and health promotion advice
• falls prevention - the team works with both residents and staff in care homes on falls prevention methods
• management of long-term conditions
• assessment and treatment advice for common mental health concerns, including dementia, depression and anxiety
• education and training for care home staff
• urgent phlebotomy service.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

CHAT physical health patients:

• residents in an Enfield care home, aged 18+ and with a complex physical health need.

CHAT mental health patients:

• residents in an Enfield care home, aged 65+ (or under 65 if a formal dementia diagnosis is in place), with a complex mental health need.

How to Refer

Urgent referrals can be done via telephone. Non-urgent referrals must be sent via email.