NHS given additional support to get medically fit patients out of hospital beds

Health officials have created a one-stop shop so hospitals in England

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Health officials have created a one-stop shop so hospitals in England can find companies which can help them get medically fit patients out of hospital beds. NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) provided a list of trusted suppliers which includes home care providers; nursing and residential care support companies; and staffing agencies.

The 12 companies listed can help with a number services including discharging patients, virtual ward support and mental health “step down care bed services”. Some of the companies can also provide “third party brokerage services” which means they can help find suitable care for patients and save hospital workers from trying to find support for patients outside of the hospital.

Elaine Alsop, from NHS SBS, said: “Delays in discharge processes and limited capacity in social and community care, are making it challenging for NHS hospitals and mental health services to discharge patients appropriately. They remain inpatients, placing further strain on hospital resources, reducing the number of hospital beds available for new admissions, and at higher risk of hospital-acquired infections, loss of mobility, independence and re-admission.”

The move forms part of the NHS’ preparations for what is expected to be a tough winter. Other plans include social care “traffic control centres” and cash incentives for hospital performance in emergency care.

The centres, likened to travel agents for social care, will act as a single place for staff across the health, care and voluntary sectors to co-ordinate the best and quickest discharge options for patients – either at home or into social or community care. Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said: “There is no doubt social care services are under pressure which is having a knock-on effect on bed capacity in the NHS – with more than 12,000 patients in hospital beds daily who are medically fit for discharge.

“This is why we are rolling out ‘care traffic control’ centres so staff can locate and co-ordinate the best and quickest discharge options for patients – either at home or into social or community care – and any initiative to make this easier for hospitals is welcome.” Hundreds of patients are taking up hospital beds across England every day despite being ready to leave, due to hold-ups in sorting transport, medicines and paperwork, or because they have nowhere to be discharged to.

Disagreements between a patient or their family and medical staff, plus the need to install specialist equipment in a person’s home, are among other reasons for delays. But the biggest obstacle to the speedy discharge of patients, who are often elderly and frail, is lack of beds in other settings, such as care homes or community hospitals.

Many have said that last winter was one of the worst on record for the health service in England amid soaring demand for care. And it is expected that the service could also face a surge in demand this winter with officials anticipating a large number of people needing help for respiratory illnesses including flu and coronavirus >Covid.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “We hope this new procurement agreement will be another useful brick in the wall when it comes to ensuring good patient flow in our hospitals this winter. Last year many older people were forced to stay in a hospital bed for far longer than was good for them, because of the huge challenge of finding them safe and appropriate care in the community.

“This new framework should help streamline the discharge process, benefiting them and hospital managers too. It’s good to see the Government and the NHS putting plans in place for winter now, rather than at the last minute, but it will still be hard for our creaking health and care system to cope.

“At Age UK we are worried that some older people will suffer from lack of timely care and treatment, because there is no substitute for having enough decent social care services to call on, and these continue to be sorely lacking in many parts of the country.” Jane Eades, director of nursing and quality at Marie Curie, said: “We know first-hand that for people with terminal illness, delays in discharge means they may die in hospital when they neither want nor need to be there.

“We welcome any initiatives that reduce obstacles to timely discharge, to ensure dying people get the care they need in their own home which is the best outcome for the patient, their loved ones and the NHS resources.”