Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they envisage for community hospitals in rural areas providing 'step-up step-down' and rehabilitation facilities.

‘Step up’ care (preventing unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals or long term care) and ‘step down’ care (receiving patients from acute care for rehabilitation and to support timely discharge from hospital) are considered to be intermediate care services.

Whilst these intermediate care services can be provided in a community hospital, it is also possible to provide them in a care home or home setting. It is for the local commissioners, whether they are in rural or urban areas, to determine the most appropriate location to provide these services for their local system based on local needs and issues. It is also important that this choice recognises that the principle that ‘home’ - a person’s usual place of residence – is generally the best place for people to be whenever possible.