The health chief has since called for an end to the “workarounds” of the NHS crisis. I it emerged that at least three groups of hospitals were opening “nursing hotels” to free up beds.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy for NHS Providers, said long-term solutions are needed to overcome delays in the discharge of thousands of patients from hospital beds.
“It’s a big problem when thousands of beds are occupied by people who simply don’t get social assistance or enough community support to be discharged,” Ms Deakin said. I.
“This, in turn, puts a huge strain on the entire emergency and emergency care system, which is the main reason for long waiting times in busy emergency rooms and ambulances lining up with large numbers of patients.
“Instead of the NHS having to look for workarounds, we need to ease the lockdown on layoffs as the government tackles a longstanding lack of capacity, human resources and funding to make social assistance sustainable.”
Ms Deakin’s comments follow confirmation that Cornish health officials want to open a nursing home to ease pressure on the county’s only major hospital.
On Wednesday, I revealed that three NHS regions in the southwest of England were booking hotels to free up hospital beds for people in need of more urgent care.
Asked about the use of nursing homes at a board meeting of the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT) on Thursday, the foundation’s COO Robin Jones said: “There are discussions in Cornwall about setting up an institution like the one we’re at. they have been used in recent years.
“Currently, these negotiations are ongoing, but all the details have not yet been confirmed. But they also make sure there is enough staff in the area when we use it and this is available throughout Cornwall.
Royal Cornish patients in Truro – Cornwall’s only major emergency hospital – have to wait up to 12 hours, and confidence has been shaken only recently after the latest critical incident.
Dr. Myri McLean, Chair of RCHT, added: “Our hospital, like many other hospitals across the country, is bursting at the seams. We all know this and have known it for some time.”
Hospitals across England are thought to average between 100 and 200 patients occupying beds despite being willing to be discharged without a welfare package.
The latest available data shows that the average number of hospital beds occupied by people who could be discharged if a set of medical services were available has risen steadily since last summer.
Some 13,600 beds are occupied by people ready to lay off but awaiting welfare, up from 11,590 in June.
Cornwall has agreed to share a hotel in Plymouth with NHS Devon but also intends to open its own facility.
Care hotels operated by private health care providers registered with the Quality Commission are used as a temporary solution for the infirm and elderly who require specialized care due to a variety of conditions, including mobility problems and dementia.
On average, patients stay in a nursing home for about a month before they can purchase a welfare package or make room in a nursing home.
In Devon, the NHS has booked rooms for 40 patients at the Leonardo Hotel in Plymouth.
NHS Devon originally booked 30 beds at the hotel, but after an agreement with Cornish health officials, it expanded the booking by 10 to accommodate patients from across the county.
NHS hospitals in and around Bristol have also booked hotel stays for up to 30 patients through the end of March.
However, criticism of the use of care hotels continued after Age UK shared it. I that the strategy “highlights how serious the welfare crisis has become.”
A leading healthcare company said nursing homes have beds offered by the NHS but not being used despite being cheaper than a hotel.
The average weekly cost of placing a patient in a nursing home starts at around £1,000 compared to around £520 in a nursing home.
Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the Association of Nursing Homes, told the BBC: “Well before Christmas, I was contacted by caregivers who said, ‘I have beds, but the local hospital has not contacted me.’
“I also heard corporate services say to me: “We have free beds, but the hospitals are not asking us to fill them,” and I think this is some kind of misunderstanding. I think it really affects us. I can understand if there are no beds in the area [care hotel] there would be a way.
A spokesperson for NHS England said: “Care hotels have previously been used locally in the NHS as a short-term measure to support the discharge of clinically healthy patients who are medically able to leave the hospital.
“They are not a replacement for nursing homes, but are one of the alternative field interventions to support patients in safely discharging patients from the hospital in an environment that is appropriate for their individual needs.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.