New film spotlights community teams that get patients independent

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Intermediate Care service has received recognition in a new film from The NHS Alliance that will be showcased during Celebrating Community Services Week (19 to 23 October 2026).

The service provides rapid assessment and short term intensive rehabilitation in people’s homes helping them to recover after an illness or hospital stay.

The Trust’s community health teams work with Lambeth and Southwark adult social care to deliver this service. Its teams include skilled professionals from occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nurses, administrators, rehabilitation support workers, social workers and pharmacists.

They work together under one roof to enable people to be as independent as possible, supporting early hospital discharge and preventing hospital admissions within 2 days of referral and up to 6 weeks of treatment.

Former chef Alojzy Wegrzynek, known as Luigi, 77, from Streatham, appears in the film. He is grateful for the support provided by the service, and in particular senior rehabilitation support worker, Wendy Yates from Guy’s and St Thomas’. 

Since having a fall in July, and after spending 9 weeks in hospital, Luigi, age 77 from Streatham, was able to leave hospital with the support of Intermediate Care Lambeth. Wendy and the team provide a range of support including regular exercises to build strength. 

Luigi, who describes himself as “incapacitated” when he first returned home from hospital, said: “In hospital I lost control of my legs. I was just starting to stand down but the pain was too much. First, they arranged my accommodation and then I started having exercises every day. Believe it or not, I finished up walking. 

"I can actually go out the front door now and walk around the block, go to the supermarket. 

“They gave me the reason to start doing things. With the frame, I started going in the kitchen and I started cooking. Because I was a chef and I cook my own meals."

Being able to move from a temporary bed in the lounge and back upstairs has been an important milestone for Luigi.  He said:

It gave me back my pride. I’ve always been a very active person. I’ve had my own businesses for ever. I travelled a lot. I love gardening and everything else. I’m starting to do a bit of gardening. It gave me back my self-belief that I can do it.

Shirley Forson, service lead for Intermediate Care Lambeth who is in the film, said: "Our nurse, our physiotherapist, our occupational therapist [for example] can really wrap around that patient to deliver the care that they need. It also allows us to communicate with places like adult social care easily, because they are already part of us. So, when we are needing to reduce a patient's care package, or maybe increase it, it can happen in hours rather than days."

Celebrating Community Services Week is an NHS Alliance initiative acknowledging the essential care delivered in people’s homes, neighbourhoods and local communities.  

The NHS Alliance is the independent membership body that represents and supports the health and care system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Watch the film.