Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

A therapy-led approach is a signifier of the difference between intermediate care interventions and bedded or non-bedded step down interventions. Although intermediate care is free at the point of use it is very often 50/50 funded by social care, usually through the Better Care Fund, and in fact some home-based intermediate care can be fully funded by a council's ASC function. Some is fully NHS funded (more often bed-based). Intermediate care is NOT funded by a hospital. Up to 6 weeks is usual, though typical length of service is lower. Often overlooked is the utility of intermediate care to avoid an admission so intermediate care is also not only a post-acute-episode intervention. Recovery (of relative independence) or reablement is the goal of intermediate care. Most people (over 80%) leaving hospital who require an intervention on pathways 1-3 should have reablement goals achievable by either form of intermediate care - either a short term reablement-based care bed with therapeutic support, or a reablement-based domiciliary care support (often termed Home First). See https://ipc.brookes.ac.uk/files/publications/Some_key_messages_around_hospital_transfers_of_care.pdf