Cheshire Community Action (CCA) has been awarded a £307,000 contract for 2.5 years, to continue delivering the successful Community Home First service across Cheshire West and Chester.

Delivered in partnership with Snow Angels and Neston Community Youth Centre, the Community Home First service has become an integral part of the local hospital discharge process, supporting people to leave hospital safely and recover at home with ongoing support in their community.

Cheshire West and Chester Council and NHS England commissioned the service, which launched as a pilot in December 2022. Since then, Community Home First has supported over 4,600 individuals, avoided more than 13,000 overnight hospital stays, and generated £3.7 million in social value in 2025 alone. It has grown rapidly and is now recognised as a high-impact, cost-efficient solution benefiting patients, hospitals, and the wider community. This success demonstrates the vital role the local community and voluntary sector play in supporting people’s health and wellbeing—delivering responsive, person-centred care effectively and complementing the work of larger institutions.

Community Home First staff are embedded within the Countess of Chester, Leighton, and Ellesmere Port hospitals, attending daily discharge meetings and working closely with patients, families, and clinical teams. They identify and resolve practical barriers that would otherwise delay discharge.

The team arrange shopping, fits key safes, coordinates cleaning, and ensures homes are ready to receive patients and any medical equipment they might need to recover at home. Once someone returns home, the support continues for up to six weeks—providing check-ins, connecting people to befriending services, social activities, and specialist support.

Mark Reading, Chief Executive of Cheshire Community Action, said:

“This renewed contract gives us the stability to retain experienced staff and further develop our service, so we can keep making a difference for people leaving hospital across the region.”

In 2025, the service supported 2,081 people—a 50% increase from the previous year —avoiding over 6,000 overnight stays. An independent assessment valued its social return at £9.39 for every £1 invested that year.

The service’s success is driven by its person-centred, relationship-based approach and ongoing adaptability. Case studies highlight how compassionate, flexible interventions—such as supporting people with anxiety, complex needs, or navigating multi-agency challenges—lead to safe and timely discharges.

From October 2026, Cheshire Community Action, Snow Angels and Neston Community and Youth Centre will work together to support at least 1,600 people annually with early discharge, provide follow-up to 800 people, and recruit 36 volunteers each year, ensuring sustained positive impact across Cheshire West and Chester.

Photo credit: Cheshire Community Action – Adele Rylance and Vicky Smith (left to right)

We aim to give Cheshire communities a stronger voice by engaging with and supporting them in influencing the places, spaces and services that are important to them.

We work throughout Cheshire West & Chester, Cheshire East, Halton, and Warrington. Although we were originally founded to assist rural communities, in recent years, we have branched out to provide support in larger towns and their suburbs. 

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