A new van is driving the way for less hospital visits and shorter stays for patients.

Dr. David Harries heads the Day Hospital at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and explained that the van allows staff to make home visits.

The Day Hospital began operating last January with a team of medical professionals to help patients regain their full functional capacity.

The team consists of Dr. Harries, a head nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a social worker, a psychologist and a number of nurse’s aides. A speech and language pathologist and a dietician are also available to assist. In many cases the unit allows in-patients to be released from KEMH sooner. Many people are relieved to return home and prefer to have regular weekly visits to the Day Hospital where they receive rehabilitative care.

The majority of patients are stroke victims and while most are seniors, Dr. Harries said others are in their 40s. The unit can cater to anyone over the age of 17. Much of the work involves physical and/or occupational therapy.

“It is really important for us to see them operating in their home setting,” said unit physiotherapist Annabell Gill.

She said in the home, therapists can see first hand that a patient cannot reach places he or she needs to, how the chairs they are using might not suit them, where they might need rails or other places where changes are needed.

“Patients behave differently at home from when we see them in the hospital,” said Dr. Harries. “They get nicely dressed and put on a show of sorts. When we are able to see them at home, it unmasks a lot of useful information and allows for the best care,” he added. The donation of the new Renault Kangoo van allows the Day Hospital staff to visit patients in their homes as team or on a one-to-one basis.

The van has been specially adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, making it possible for staff to bring wheelchair-bound patients to the hospital when necessary.

Before the unit was equipped with a van, staff made their home visits on public transport or in their own vehicles.

“Once I took Dr. Harries on my scooter with me to see a patient in their home,” said head nurse Sara Powell. “I don’t think it would have happened anywhere else in the world. It was fun but not ideal.”

The van also helps Day Hospital staff in their proactive efforts to decrease in-patient stays. “There are many frail people whom we work with at home. We try to get to them early so that they will not have to be admitted as in-patients here,” said Dr. Harries.

Demand is high for Day Hospital services particularly physio and occupational therapy.

On average staff see four to five patients a week in their homes. At the moment there is a waiting list of about two weeks for physiotherapy. Six patients were on the waiting list when this article was written.

The $36,000 van was made possible by donations from the Patrick and Beryl Campbell Charitable Trust and The Bermuda Stroke and Family Support Association.