Discharges are delayed due to lack of social care – an average of 2,033 per day awaiting resources to be put in place for going home and. a further 1,277 a day awaiting a place in a residential or nursing home, with a further awaiting a rehabilitation bed ! BUT data shows 390 per day were awaiting paperwork – a discharge summary and 98 a day for lack of transport. In context 12,344 beds per day were occupied by people awaiting discharge. This report seeks to address these issues.
Miriam Deakin, Director of Strategy at NHS Providers says there are several factors including a ‘capacity crunch of staff and beds in social care and community health’. How often have we said in NESCHA , as she says, that ‘short- term national fundng pots…cannot offer sustainable solutions. A fully funded long-term workforce plan for social care , accompanied by debate about long term funding and reform would put the sector on a sustainable footing’.
Interviewed by Matt Bailey at 7.10am on 29th July about NESCHA views on imminent Andy Burnham announcement later that morning. I was greatly encouraged by his feedback ( he said it was interesting and ran over time!) and wrote the paper attached.
I never dreamt that one day I would be living the system!.
Sadly Robert my co-author , died when I was in hospital some years ago but my wife visited daily and then she lived with a diagnosois mixed dementia for over four years, was admitted to hospital last October and, following a rapid discharge to a care home, died peacefully in December .
Despite a professional background in social work and years spent working on improving health and care systems, nothing fully prepares you for living that experience. It brought into sharp focus both the compassion of frontline staff and the frustrations families can face when services are not as joined-up or consistent as they should be.
NHS de-frazzle new book and brilliant review