Community Frailty Service

The Community Frailty Service is part of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The service supports patients to live well alongside their existing long-term conditions.

Long-term conditions are described as health problems which need managing over many years. They are not curable but can be managed well with medication and lifestyle choices. As well as providing health support, we also support the patient’s wellbeing. This is achieved by supporting the patient to set goals that are personal to them.

The Community Frailty Service consists of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, including a Consultant Community Geriatrician and Physician, Frailty GPs, Nurse Consultants, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, a Pharmacy team, Clinical Care Coordination team and Assistant Practitioners.

The service covers the whole Fylde Coast with appointments offered in the home setting or across a number of community clinic settings. After the initial assessment, the patient will be visited at home by a member of the team to work through their plan of care. This may include education and advice to help the patient to manage their long-term conditions and support them to keep well at home, ordering any necessary equipment to ensure they can mobilise safely and signpost to any other services that may be of benefit.

We can also offer the patient a medication review by our pharmacy team and answer any questions they may have about their medication.

The service also offers a daily telephone triage service to support patients when they feel unwell due to their long-term conditions. This same day service aims to treat patients at home wherever possible in order to prevent an admission to hospital.

An appointment will be made for the patient to meet a senior clinical member of the team for an initial assessment. The appointment will include a non-invasive examination as well as information gathering about how the patient currently feels and lives. The appointment will take up to 90 mins.

This will give us the opportunity to get to know the patient better and discuss how the service may benefit them.

Whilst under the service, the patient will remain registered with their GP and will be able to access their practice in the usual way.