A new therapy assessment kitchen has been launched by University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) to help elderly patients get home quicker.

Patients on Royal Stoke University Hospital's Older Adults Wards will be assessed on their ability to carry out everyday tasks such as making the tea or a snack to help better determine when they can go home or to their place of care, and what support they require when there.

Jen Murdoch, advanced cccupational therapist at UHNM said: ‘Assessing patients by asking them to carry out activities like making a cup of tea is a key part of our role. We can look at how they're doing in terms of their cognition and physical functioning, which will help us to guide their discharge plan and get them the right package of care and make them more confident and safer once at home.

‘Prior to these assessments, patients would have been discharged with care packages they may not have actually needed, but having that accurate assessment and information enables our partners in social care to make the right decision about what their care needs actually are.'

The dedicated kitchen, based in the Royal Stoke's West Building, has been specially equipped thanks to support from UHNM Charity and local community organisations.