Pembrokeshire Intermediate
Voluntary Organisations Team

PIVOT (Transport) provides home-based low-level support for people who are at risk of admission to hospital for non-medical reasons and either have no means of transport to get home and/or no family or friends to support them on their return home. Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) volunteer drivers, using their own cars, provide transport within Pembrokeshire, home from Withybush, South Pembrokeshire or Tenby Cottage hospital, and settling at home on arrival to ensure that the client is warm, has access to food and drink, is safe and happy to be left. RVS also have volunteer drivers with access to wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) to provide transport for wheelchair users in the same situation. PIVOT (Transport) may also be provided, on referral from a healthcare practitioner or PACTO Officer, for people who need transport to an urgent health related appointment e.g. if non-essential transport or hospital transport has suddenly been cancelled and the person has an appointment to attend the same or next day or a GP requires person to attend hospital for immediate xray/tests and no other form of transport is available. Transport can only be accessed via the team at Porth Preseli, and drivers can only take referrals directly from them. (Daily 9-5 – including weekends, rota of Drivers held by Porth Preseli).

The West Wales Care & Repair element of the PIVOT service is as follows: Our full-time caseworker works 9-5 Monday to Friday. They receive referrals from the Joint Discharge Team and hospital staff for inpatients where there are barriers in their home environment preventing a safe discharge home e.g. minor adaptations needed, issues with clutter, deep cleaning, repairs, lack of heating/hot water, transfer of bed to a downstairs room including capping of gas appliance i.e. gas fire. Lynne coordinates practical solutions liaising with patients, their families, and other agencies as appropriate to facilitate discharge. When the service user has returned home from hospital, we offer a healthy home check to identify any further adaptations or hazards in the home that need to be addressed. The assessment also includes a benefit check and signposting to other services if needed.

As part of PIVOT, Volunteering Matters recruit and manage local volunteers who provide 6 weeks, time-limited support to help persons returning home from Hospital to build confidence or mobility to enable them to continue living in their own homes when they have no family or friends locally to support them. As part of a person-centred support plan, our volunteers offer prescription collection, dog walking, shopping, light gardening, light hoovering and face to face or telephone befriending.

St John’s Ambulance Welfare and Falls Rapid Response Service can only be accessed via the team at Porth Preseli, and the responders can only take referrals directly from them. The responders attend incidents to assess and assist people, including the provision of a limited clinical response, where people have urgent needs and following assessment, summon an appropriate medical response if needed. It is focused on reducing demand on Emergency Medical Services to release these resources for a more appropriate acuity of call and prevent unnecessary conveyance to hospital through long lies following a fall. We respond to Non-response lifeline/TEC triggers, Non injurious falls and Urgent welfare checks.

Frequently Asked Questions