Interface Team

The Interface Team are part of the Occupational Therapy (OT) department.

The Interface Team work in the Emergency Department, Pallion walk in Centre, Fracture Clinic, and Ambulatory Care. The team respond to referrals very quickly.

The Interface Team also complete work on the Integrated Assessment Unit where patients may come into one of the short stay wards. The aim of the Interface Team is to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital for those patients who can return to their own home with help and support.

The Interface Team wear teal tunics with black trousers.

The Interface Team have an office base within the Emergency Department as well as staff based in the Occupational Therapy Department. Occupational Therapy Department is located in Entrance 8 Rehabilitation at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The nearest car parks are outside the Surgical Day Case Unit and the main Outpatients car park off Chester Road.

The Occupational Therapy Department provides a seven day service between 08:00 to 16:30 each day.

Occupational Therapy 0191 5656256 extension 42412

Divisional General Manager Jackie Butterworth

Directorate Manager Mandy Bates

Clinical Director Mary Spearman

Clinical Manager Jill Graham

Interace Team Manager Tracey Rumfitt

Patients attending the Emergency Department, Pallion walk in Centre, Fracture Clinic or Ambulatory Care may be referred to the Interface Team if there are any concerns about how they will manage at home, or if their mobility is impaired due to illness, accident or injury. The Interface Team will ask people how patients were managing everyday activities at home and will look at how they manage walking and getting into and out of bed and the toilet. Using this information they will make judgements as to how patients will manage at home.

Patients may be offered mobility aids or assistive equipment and those requiring further support may be referred for assistance for when they return home or if patients require further rehabilitation. This may be provided in the patient’s home from community teams or in a local bed based rehabilitation facility.

The team are sometimes called upon to assess patients in their own homes, if they do not need to come into hospital. For these visits, patients are visited at home and assessed to see how they are managing. The team will provide any necessary equipment and support that the patients need or for those unable to manage, they may be able to refer for short term carers. Some patients need intensive therapy or nursing input, and the Interface Team may recommend that the patient goes into a bed based rehabilitation facility.

The team also complete some specific work with patients who have fallen trying to prevent patients from falling again. The team assessing how patient’s manage at home and taking into consideration the home environment and whether anything within the home could be a cause of falls.

The Interface Team also have a small Community Physiotherapy service attached to it. This service is for patients who require some Physiotherapy input but are unable to attend out-patient appointments.