Welsh Minister visits Delta Wellbeing and Home First team leading the way in joined-up care at home

The Welsh Minister for Children and Social Care Dawn Bowden MS has visited Delta Wellbeing and the Home First team in Carmarthenshire to find out how they’re transforming care for people – helping them to leave hospital safely or avoid being admitted in the first place.

The visit highlighted the strong partnership between Hywel Dda University Health Board, Carmarthenshire County Council, Delta Wellbeing and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust – all working together as part of a joined-up team to provide appropriate care either at home or as close to home as possible. 

The Minister toured Delta’s 24/7 alarm receiving and monitoring centre before meeting members of the Home First multi-disciplinary team (MDT), which includes social workers, therapists, GPs, paramedics, nurses, dieticians, reablement staff and other community care professionals.

Minister for Children and Social Care Dawn Bowden said: “I’m impressed by the innovative partnership I saw between Delta Wellbeing and the Home First team. This joined-up approach, enabled by Welsh Government funding such as the Regional Integration Fund, is helping people stay independent at home and supporting safer, timely hospital discharges. 
 
“It shows how effective collaboration across health and social care can deliver better outcomes for people while making the best use of our resources.”

A Local Authority Trading Company owned by Carmarthenshire County Council, Delta Wellbeing uses assistive technology and provides proactive support to help people live independently and safely at home for as long as possible. 

Supporting this approach from within the hospitals is Delta Wellbeing’s Blue Army staff who work closely with ward staff to identify patients who are ready to go home. They make sure everything is in place to support a smooth and safe discharge, linking in closely with the Home First team and Delta Wellbeing’s community response team who can help transport patients home and settle them back in, and crucially provide up to seven days of emergency bridging care for those waiting to start reablement or a longer-term care package.

Together, these teams are making a real impact – easing pressure on the NHS by helping to reduce hospital admissions and speed up discharges, and most importantly, making sure people get the care they need in the place that’s right for them.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services Cllr Jane Tremlett said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister and share more about the innovative and impactful approach being delivered through the collaboration between the local authority, the health board and Delta Wellbeing. By working together, we’re ensuring people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. 

“Delta Wellbeing is helping to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and ensure a smoother discharge process by providing short-term emergency care until long-term support is in place. This not only supports patients in staying at home safely but also helps free up hospital capacity, easing pressure on frontline staff and ensuring resources are used effectively. This partnership is making a real difference in delivering proactive, preventative care.”

Peter Skitt, Service Director for Community and Integrated Medicine at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “We were pleased to be able to tell Dawn Bowden, the Minister for Children and Social Care about the great work being done to support our Home First initiative. It demonstrates partnership working at its best and we are seeing some very positive outcomes thanks to this approach to healthcare. We look forward to continuing to work positively with our partners at Carmarthenshire County Council, Delta Wellbeing, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and a range of third sector partners.”