THERAPY services are set to be increased thanks to a £1.5m funding boost.

The investment will see services provided seven days a week from community hospitals and a higher level of treatment being delivered to patients in their own homes, across Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an additional 35 therapy staff as well as providing existing staff with advanced training in specialist areas such as respiratory, stroke/neurology, complex musculoskeletal conditions and dementia.

Barbara Stoker, director of integrated therapies at the trust, said: “A review of local community therapy services in 2013 revealed that 60 per cent of patients in our primary care hospitals would have benefitted from a higher level of occupational therapy and physiotherapy.

“This substantial investment means we are now able to provide this extended service for patients across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.

“This is fantastic news as it will help prevent avoidable hospital admissions, reduce admissions to care homes, shorten the amount of time people have to stay in hospital and increase the range of rehabilitation services we can provide closer to home.”

Currently patients have to wait up to four weeks for occupational therapy in the community and up to eight weeks for physiotherapy, but from April 1 all non-urgent patients should be seen within two weeks by the community therapy team.

The new way of working will also see a central point of contact created for referrals to ensure patients always go straight to the right therapist for their rehabilitation.

Dr Ali Tahmassebi, local GP and member of South Tees CCG added: “It’s great to see our IMProVE plans coming to fruition. This is another important step in supporting patients to remain independent.”