The team consists of occupational therapists, physios, social workers and nurses, and helps patients that no longer require hospital treatment but need support in adjusting to living back home.
Without this care, patients end up staying in hospital for longer than necessary, which can be detrimental due to sleep deprivation and increased risk of infection.
Associate Director of HSC’s Acute Services, Elaine Burgess said: “The hospital is regularly teetering on capacity which will be an ongoing issue until our hospital modernisation is complete.
“Pressure on beds will only get worse over winter so this couldn’t come at a better time.”
Having previously only run until 16:00 daily, the extended hours enables the service to support more complex patients.
Nicola Cross and David Cook, co-leaders of the Service, explained that they encourage patients to participate in their own care to maximise their independence.
“In hospital everything is done for you and it is easy to get comfortable with that,” said Ms Cross.
“We give people that helping hand to realise they can cope at home and have a far better quality of life as a result.”
The Reablement Service aligns with the overall aims of the Partnership of Purpose, which is an ongoing initiative to transform the provision of health and social care services locally to cope with an ageing population.
It comes as the PEH prepares for a potentially “challenging winter.”