MORE than 300 patients a month are being treated at home by Fast Response Teams.

The initiative by North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), is working to reduce the time patients have to spend in hospital.

Officials say the number of referrals to the teams seems likely to rise as the programme becomes more established.

The service is available for patients who are medically stable, but who require high levels of care. Patients and their families can contact a team through community nurses and GPs.

Response teams include community nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists as well as healthcare assistants who offer general support.

They assess patients and draw up care plans, allowing the patients to recover quickly and comfortably at home.

One patient who benefited from the scheme is Sylvia Bradford, who was supported by her local team for six weeks after having knee replacement surgery.

She was referred to the Whitby Fast Response Team by staff at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, where she underwent the procedure.

Her doctors referred her to the service as she was medically stable, but had ongoing health problems.

Ms Bradford said: "The Fast Response Team initiative is excellent and shows the NHS cares about helping people in their own homes. Being an independent person, I wanted to get home after my operation as soon as I could so I could get on with my life.

"The staff were so understanding and nice. They made things very easy for me.

"I'm still improving and am having continued physiotherapy, but those first six weeks of care were really important to me.