AGE UK Gloucestershire has successfully bid for funding which will allow the charity to provide support to the NHS by expanding on their Out of Hospital Service.

The Out of Hospital Service provided by Age UK is available to older people who are discharged following a stay in hospital.

Age UK's funding will result in a significant increase in the number of older people who Age UK are able to help and support throughout the winter period.

The announcement comes after NHS England decided to work with, and fund several voluntary sector organisations to support the wider healthcare system.

The funding will provide more staff hours within Age UK Gloucestershire’s and British Red Cross' Out of Hospital Team.

In addition to working with the main hospitals, the charity is also supporting the discharge of older patients from the county’s seven Community Hospitals.

This helps to free up beds in Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals.

Age UK supports older people with a range of winter-related interventions including ensuring they have had flu vaccinations, they are able to prepare meals, they have appropriate room temperatures and are signed up to cold weather alerts.

The charity also provides regular follow-up welfare telephone calls, so their experienced team can spot potential issues or problems early on.

Duncan Thomas, Out of Hospital Service and Statutory Projects Manager for Age UK Gloucestershire, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with our NHS colleagues to help ease pressure on the hospital systems through the challenging winter period.

"Our team is very experienced at supporting older people and we are embedded within and across health and social care teams at both hospitals to make sure that the transition from hospital to home is as smooth as possible.”

Donna Miles from NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The Out of Hospital Service is well-established in both our main hospitals and our community hospitals, offering invaluable support to people after a stay in hospital.

"The service provides individuals, their families and carers with often simple, but vital, support to help them return home and stay safe.

"The additional funding has meant that the service is able to help even more people over the winter months."