Integrated Care Services (iCares)
Integrated Cares, known as iCares, is a service and an approach to managing adults with long term conditions irrespective of their diagnosis, location or age.
It includes a whole range of staff including nurses and therapists providing specialist community interventions which will
- avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital
- help maintain health and well being through care management
- improve independence and function with community rehabilitation
What happens when I make a referral?
The referral will be triaged by a clinician who will ring the patient and work with them to find out what their issues are at this point in time.
A clinical decision will then be made with the patient, as to when a response will be provided. This will be based on the conversation and other information gathered from case notes and the referral.
- Urgent referrals, where we can avoid an admission, will be seen within three hours
- Patients who are highly complex and at risk of becoming urgent will be seen within 72 hours
- Those requiring rehabilitation will be seen within 15 days
We aim to match the patients clinical needs to the clinician with the most appropriate skills for their need at this time.
For more information about disabled access for this service, please click here.
A range of treatments in the community for various conditions are available.
These are accessed through the Care Navigation Centre for both urgent and non urgent referrals.
Services available include:
• Palliative Care Hub
• iCares
• Care Homes Team
• District Nursing
• Continence Service
• Foot Health
• Physiotherapy
• Respiratory Service
• Heart Failure Service
• Wheelchairs Service
To find out more about any of these services, contact the Care Navigation Centre on 0121 507 2664, seven days a week, between 8am and 8pm.
iCares and the Care Navigation Centre is open 8am–8pm, seven days a week.
Telephone: 0121 507 2664 (option 5) /07817 397 533
Email: sandwell.icares@nhs.net