Relearn how to do daily activities after illness (reablement)

Help to regain independence at home

We can offer support if you’re recovering from an illness or you’ve been in hospital and you’re experiencing difficulties with daily tasks at home. We offer reablement care and a Home from Hospital service to eligible Kingston residents.

Reablement care

Reablement is a free, short-term care service we offer in partnership with Your Healthcare. 

It’s personalised care designed to help you regain independence in managing daily activities. The care happens at your home, focusing on improving your ability to perform daily tasks, such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and getting dressed.

This care aims to help you develop the skills and confidence needed to safely and independently do these tasks in your own home, rather than to carry out tasks for you.

Who can get reablement care

To receive reablement care, you must be:

• 18 years or older
• a resident in Kingston
• willing to work together with care workers to help you become independent again

How to get reablement care

Get assessed at the hospital

If you're in the hospital, you can request an assessment from health professionals to determine if reablement care suits your needs. If it does, they’ll recommend you receive this care when you’re discharged from hospital.

Ask someone to refer you

If you’re recovering from an illness and you think reablement might help you, ask for a referral from:

• your GP
• a community connector
• your housing provider

You can also call Kingston’s contact centre on 020 8547 5000 to ask us about reablement care. 

The adult social care team will get in touch to discuss your needs and work out if you’ll benefit from reablement.

If you’re referred

Health professionals will work with you to:

• find out what you need to achieve your potential
• create a personalised plan to reach your goals
• work out if you could benefit from equipment to make sure you can live safely and independently at home

What you can expect from the service

When your care starts, you will: 

• work with healthcare professionals to rebuild your strength, confidence, and independence
• get up to 28 hours of care spread over a period of time, with the level of support adjusted as your skills and confidence improve
• get guidance, support and encouragement to perform daily tasks

After reablement care ends

If you’ve regained your independence

Once you've reached your potential through reablement, you will be discharged from the service.

If you have ongoing care needs

Your reablement carer will evaluate your progress and prepare a report outlining any ongoing needs.

We’ll then ask you to take a care assessment to check what level of care you need and set up a support package if you need one. 

If you’re eligible for further care from us, ongoing care is means-tested and not free for everyone. We’ll do a financial assessment with you to work out if you need to pay anything towards the cost of future care, and how much you’ll need to pay.

Home from Hospital service

As well as reablement, you may benefit from the Home from Hospital service from Kingston Staywell if you’re:

• over 65
• living in Kingston or registered with a Kingston GP
• live alone or with another vulnerable person

This service supports people and their family or friends to think through and prepare for all aspects of the return to home, and can provide advice and further recommendations. 

Call 020 8942 8256 and ask for the Home from Hospital Team, or email hospital.team@staywellservices.org.uk.