What Is Acute Care?
Acute care is a part of healthcare where people receive short-term treatment for urgent medical conditions and is the opposite of chronic, long-term care.
This type of care may require a stay in the hospital, urgent care unit, surgery departments, and other types of short-term facilities and can be provided in the home. Acute care aims to promote, prevent, rehabilitate or cure various medical conditions and is oriented towards people whose primary goal is to improve health and quality of life. The effectiveness of acute care lies in time sensitivity and rapid intervention.
Subacute Care
Sub-acute care is about returning people to their everyday lives, the highest levels of strength and functionality after a specific medical condition. After an injury, for example, sub-acute care services allow people to take their time and adjust to the new quality of life thanks to its thorough, extensive approach.
Post-Acute Care
Post-acute care is given by choice, usually after being discharged from the hospital. People who choose post-acute care services are less likely to be re-admitted to the hospital, as the primary goal of this type of care is to help people get back to solid health.
Post-acute care focuses on maximising people’s functional abilities and increasing confidence in caring for themselves and living as independently as possible.
Types of Acute Care Services
Acute care is a broad term that includes various services catering to patients’ health needs. This type of care is expected to last a short time before a person’s condition and health are improved; however, the services can vary from non-urgent and urgent services, such as:
- Emergency Department Services
- Urgent Care Services
- Intensive Care Services
- Surgical Services
- At-Home Services
- Inpatient and outpatient medicine
Acute Care in Hospital
Hospital-based acute care focuses on discharging individuals as soon as they seem stable and healthy to receive treatment in a lower-care setting. This type of care team usually consists of doctors, nurses and social workers.
Acute Care at Home
Acute care can also be provided in the home of an individual with a specific medical condition by the Unique Community Services care teams.
Receiving acute care at home allows people to receive care and support in familiar surroundings with family and closest friends by their side. Being in a home setting benefits physical, emotional and mental health. Often, people feel encouraged and motivated to start working on improving their health by taking small steps in their room or garden or simply going by the window to enjoy the view.
Aside from the motivating factor, an essential element of acute care at home is that people can be involved in decision-making and choose how care is delivered to ensure the plan will significantly improve health.
Who Needs Acute Care?
Acute care is related to medical conditions and situations where time is of the essence. It usually involves people that sustained an injury, are recovering from surgery or have another type of urgent medical condition, such as:
- Heart attack
- Trauma
- Burns
- Pneumonia
- Stroke
For some conditions, acute care delivered at home prevents unnecessary hospital admissions and promotes faster recovery.
Who Can Provide Acute Care?
The team providing acute care can sometimes include dozens of healthcare professionals. Depending on the condition and the specific needs of an individual, different healthcare professionals will be assigned but will likely include:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Physical and occupational therapists
- Speech and language therapists
- Clinicians
- Nutritionists
- Pharmacists
Benefits of Acute Care at Home
Delivering acute care in an individual’s home has seen a growing demand from people across the UK and several other locations worldwide. This model has plenty of health benefits. Its short-term implementation can be a strong care option in response to public health emergencies to helping with hospital patient surge like the one seen with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In times of disease outbreaks, acute care delivered at home allows individuals with more severe health conditions to be protected in their own homes and reduces the chances of exposure.
Furthermore, acute care delivered at home can be used as a strategy to give individuals a higher level of flexibility when they receive care and make decisions for themselves. In addition to reducing hospital admissions, people showed improved emotional health when surrounded by family, friends and even their pets.
How To Get Acute Care at Home
Access to acute care is vital in any area, especially in our local communities. With our local acute care providers, people in our communities in Leeds and Manchester can receive the needed care as fast as possible.
Getting care and support on time is something that Unique Community Services understands and prioritises. Our team ensures people get the life-changing resources and care they need to improve their health and age well with the dignity they deserve.
Our clinicians oversee every aspect of acute care, and thanks to the bespoke care plans, we can support people from our communities and care for your loved ones in every aspect, down to the smallest details.
Help Us With Acute Care
Working in acute care means you will be a valuable clinician, making a difference in people’s lives. Providing the best care at this stage helps people feel less scared, helps set their minds at ease and improves their health.
We value our clinicians and their role in making a difference in people’s lives. So if you are ready to make an impact or change someone’s life, check out our job opportunities and apply!
