Two-hour urgent community response

Since the two-hour urgent community response (UCR) mandate became live on 1 April 2022, the Rapid Response and District Nursing teams have responded to 920 referrals within two hours for people across Morecambe Bay.

Alison Suart, UCR Transformation Lead at UHMBT, said: “A two-hour response is typically required when a person is at risk of admission (or readmission) to hospital due to a ‘crisis’ (such as a fall with no apparent serious injury) and it is likely they will attend hospital within the following 0-to-24 hour period. The service aims to keep the person safe in their usual place of residence.”

The UCR is accessed via our Urgent Community & Frailty Coordination Hub and delivered by existing Rapid Response and District Nursing teams who cover Lancaster, South Lakeland and Barrow. The UCR was part of a national mandate and came into place from 1 April 2022 with the aim to respond within two hours if a person’s health or wellbeing suddenly deteriorates at home.

The team can carry out interventions such as assessments of the patients' needs order tests, diagnose, prescribe medications and order equipment to support people in their residence.

The service was set up as part of NHS England's Operational Planning Guidance, which has seen the Morecambe Bay team work closely with colleagues at North West Ambulance Service, the emergency departments at UHMBT, GPs, Lancashire and Cumbria County Councils, care homes and specialist community services.

What conditions are suitable for a referral to the UCR team?

· a fall with no apparent serious injury

· an exacerbation of existing condition

· reduced function/ deconditioning/reduced mobility

· if someone is suffering confusion/delirium

· if someone is needs urgent support for diabetes

· if someone needs urgent equipment provision

· acute Illness where hospital admission can be avoided

Where a patient is already known to district nursing services and requires an urgent community response for end of life care or catheter care, existing access routes remain in place.

The UCR has also been working in collaboration with Social Care at Lancaster County Council and Cumbria County Council to enable timely access to care provision to support the implementation of the community two-hour crisis response standard. 

For all new referrals, the UCR has developed a single point of access and referrals can be made to the Urgent Community and Frailty Coordination Hub by calling 01539 715888, the service hours are from 8am to 8pm with a cut off time for referrals at 7pm.

Find out more about Urgent Community Response Services at NHS England’s website here.