Regaining Independence goes countywide

The second phase of the Regaining Independence Support Service starts this month, and will be fully operational across West Sussex by the end of March.

Regaining Independence helps residents who need to re-learn skills for daily life to keep them independent in their own home after an illness or accident, or if they have just left hospital.

The decision means that the service will be rolled out in Horsham, Mid Sussex and Crawley by the end of February and to Chichester and Bognor Regis by the end of March. Phase 1 saw the introduction of the scheme across the Worthing, Adur and Littlehampton areas last November.

County Council Leader Henry Smith said: “Regaining Independence is a great scheme that helps elderly people to remain in the comfort of their own homes at a time when they may be vulnerable and in need of support.”

Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services Peter Catchpole said: “Regaining Independence has proved extremely successful during the first phase. Initial reports have shown that it is already making a positive difference for residents.

“In the first eight weeks of the pilot phase, 69 customers were referred and approximately 30 percent of those had no further care needs at the end of their time with the service.”

Research has shown that intensive therapy focusing on helping people regain the ability to do daily activities by themselves can help prevent hospital admissions and delays in transferring people out of hospital.

To find out more about Regaining Independence, visit the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk.

Source: West Sussex County Council