Urgent Community Response (UCR) teams across the South East are helping more people receive rapid care at home, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and easing pressure on busy emergency departments and ambulance services. 

Figures show that in December 2025, UCR teams in the South East reached 86% of people referred to them within the national two‑hour standard — above the national average of 84% and well above the national target of 70%. The region has consistently exceeded the 70% standard every month for the past year, consistently delivering some of the strongest performance in the country. 

Demand for the service continues to grow. In December 2025, UCR teams responded to 11,305 referrals within scope of the two‑hour standard, up from 9,455 in December 2024.  

Dr Daghni Rajasingam, Deputy Medical Director for the NHS in the South East, said: “Urgent Community Response teams are transforming the way we care for people whose health suddenly deteriorates. By reaching patients quickly and providing clinical support in their own homes, these teams are preventing thousands of avoidable hospital admissions and helping people stay safe, well and independent for longer. This is making a real difference not only for patients and their families, but also for our hospitals, ambulance services and wider urgent care system.” 

UCR services provide urgent, seven‑day‑a‑week support for people whose health or mobility has suddenly deteriorated — for example after a fall, an infection, or a flare‑up of a long‑term condition. By responding within two hours, multi‑disciplinary teams can assess, treat and stabilise patients in their own homes or usual place of residence, helping them avoid an unnecessary trip to hospital. 

Services also offer a two‑day response for people who need help regaining strength, confidence and independence after an illness, reducing the risk of readmission and supporting safe discharge from hospital. 

Teams typically include nurses, paramedics, GPs, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and health and therapy assistants, working together to provide clinical care, mobility support, equipment, medication reviews and falls prevention advice. 

In Sussex, UCR teams are helping more people get urgent care at home, reducing the need for hospital visits. Patients can often be assessed within two hours, receiving rapid treatment for health problems that may otherwise have led to a hospital admission. 

Over the winter period, October 2025 to January 2026 in Sussex, nearly 19,000 people who required urgent medical attention were referred to UCR teams. More than 82% of eligible patients were seen within two hours, helping them to avoid an ambulance visit or trip to hospital thanks to care provided in their own homes by the UCR teams. 

The service runs from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, supporting patients aged 18 and over whose needs can be safely managed at home. Teams provide short-term support for up to 10 days and include nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and reablement staff, with input from GPs and specialist consultants where needed. 

Dr Charlotte Canniff, Joint Chief Medical Officer for Surrey and Sussex ICB, added: “Urgent Community Response teams provide rapid care for people whose health has suddenly deteriorated but who can be safely treated at home. Being assessed quickly in familiar surroundings helps people recover while avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. It also ensures hospitals can focus on patients who need emergency treatment.” 

In mid and north Hampshire, the UCR team is led by a Consultant Practitioner and the team is multi-professional, assessing, diagnosing and treating patients at home with the primary aim to care for people in their own homes, and avoid admission to hospital. The team works closely with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare UCR, South Central Ambulance Service, and Hampshire Hospital front door frailty team, to deliver the falls and frailty car and urgent response van.  

The clinicians respond to 999 category 3 and 4 calls and 111 calls within 2 hours in a fully equipped car with specialist lifting equipment, adaptive equipment to support and facilitate therapeutic interventions, point of care testing, and medications. This enables the team to assess, diagnose and treat patients in their own homes preventing roughly 80% of hospital admissions for non-non-injury falls.