A MAJOR change in future health care is to treat people in their own homes rather than admitting them to hospital.

The health trust proposes to have teams of professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and district nurses to treat people at home or in care homes when they require intermediate care.

Intermediate care is defined as up to six weeks of intensive rehabilitation and treatment. It will enable patients to return home after being treated in hospital.

Trust chief executive Barbara Smith said there was some joint working with agencies such as Social Services in place in parts of the trust area, but the trust is planning to co-ordinate it and improve it.

It is also planning to invest in round-the-clock home care nursing which would include nurses sitting with a patient throughout the night at their home.

The trust wants these systems put in place from October this year, which is when it plans to close some beds at Devizes and Malmesbury hospitals.

Mrs Smith said 30 per cent of the patients in community hospitals did not need to be there for medical reasons.

She said: "The proposal is to reprovide for this number of people through support at home and intermediate places in care homes.

"We are proposing to have teams of people available around the clock. It will depend on the patient's needs about how long and how often the health teams go to treat the patient.

"Patients will not be left at home alone without appropriate care. We are proposing to provide enhanced support."

GP Simon Burrell said: "This system will give more support to carers. If carers can't put their relative to bed at the moment, after a fall for example, then the only alternative is to take them to hospital. Our plan is for the community teams to come out and help the carer put their relative to bed and sit with them throughout the night if that is appropriate."

Dr Burrell said there was evidence that showed that people who are sent home from hospital more quickly recover better.

He said: "If you get people back home quite quickly more people stay at home."

A number of services are being considered for Devizes after the closure of the hospital.

These include 16 hospital beds and a diagnostic and day surgery centre at Green Lane run by a consultant. But this still hangs in the balance. The trust has made it clear there are no guarantees that this will be provided in the near future.