What is the Urgent Community Response (UCR) service?

The Urgent Community Response (UCR) service provides a 2-hour response across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. It operates 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including bank holidays, from 8am to midnight (last referral received at 23:00).

The service consists of multidisciplinary professionals who respond within 2 hours if someone’s health or wellbeing suddenly deteriorates. It delivers urgent care in your home, helping to avoid the need for an ambulance and prevent hospital admission, supporting people to live independently for longer.

We know that, given the choice, most people would prefer to be cared for at home. If you or someone you care for experiences a health crisis, for example, a fall or a sudden deterioration in health, we can help.

How does it work?

The patient should be at risk of hospital admission within the next 2 to 24 hours if not seen by the service in the next 2 hours.

We aim to reach you within two hours of receiving a referral from your GP, NHS 111, 999, your care home, or your pendant alarm response service.

Our highly skilled team includes advanced clinical practitioners, district nurses, physiotherapists, paramedics and pharmacy technicians. They assess and treat urgent healthcare needs, provide lifting equipment if you’ve had a fall, and review your medication.

What situations can UCR help with?

• Falls – including those where lifting equipment is needed
• Sudden infections – such as chest, urine or skin infections
• Flare-ups of long-term conditions – like COPD, diabetes or Parkinson’s
• Frailty or sudden decline in health
• Problems passing urine or urgent catheter care
• Minor wounds – for example, cuts that need closing with medical glue
• Severe pain linked to a diagnosed condition
• Urgent end-of-life or palliative care support
• Support for people with COVID who are clinically stable
• Alternative to an ambulance – following discussion with a clinician

You are in safe hands

We don’t just treat the symptoms, we carry out a full assessment to understand why you’ve become unwell. Where needed, we can refer you to other health and social care services to help prevent future crises.

Who can use the service?

• Adults aged 18 or over who are registered with a GP in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
• People experiencing a sudden change in their health that could lead to an unnecessary visit to hospital
• People who are clinically assessed as safe to be supported at home or in their care home
• Anyone who needs a health assessment or treatment within two hours and is safe to wait that long

Referrals can be made by health and care professionals. Not by patients or carers directly.