Welcome to the Scottish Association of Community Hospitals

The Scottish Association of Community Hospitals
supports, promotes and develops Community Hospitals
within NHS Scotland.

What is SACH?
The Scottish Association of Community Hospitals (SACH) is a non-profit making voluntary body, representing Community Hospitals across Scotland and anyone who is connected to a Community Hospital, is a member of an extended Primary Care Team or is involved with a voluntary organisation with close links to a Community Hospital, such as a local League of Friends.

Vision
The SACH vision is that:

"Intermediate care should be an integral part of a quality Health and Social ~Care System across the NHS in Scotland."

Aims
The SACH aims are:

• to promote, develop and influence the Intermediate Care agenda;
• to inform and influence developments within the NHS and other associated bodies;
• to provide support for members to enable them to address the objectives of the Association at a local level and in their clinical practice; and
• to provide and support education/communication both within and outside the organisation.

What does SACH do?
The Scottish Association of Community Hospitals supports its members to provide the best care possible for the communities they serve by encouraging best practice, promoting patient-centred care and ensuring the implementation of national guidelines and standards. The SACH endorses that those involved in Community Hospitals are a natural force for local integration because they have always worked in a multidisciplinary, multi-agency environment.

What are Community Hospitals?
"A Community Hospital is a local hospital, unit or centre providing an appropriate range and format of accessible health care facilities and resources," explains Professor Lewis Ritchie of the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Aberdeen, and a Committee Member of the Scottish Association of Community Hospitals.

"Medical care is normally led by GPs, in liaison with consultant, nursing and allied health professional colleagues as necessary and may also incorporate consultant long stay beds, primary care nurse-led and midwife services."

Services currently being provided by Community Hospitals across Scotland, in both urban and rural settings, include:

• Intermediate GP Acute Care
• Out-of-hours and emergency triaging services
• Out patient and specialist clinics
• Pre-admission and routine testing
• Day surgery
• Palliative care
• Rehabilitation
• Treatment for patients who cannot be cared for at home but who do not require the specialist care provided by a more distant hospital
• Convalescence if required