With the recent announcement of an additional £25 billion for the NHS came a renewed focus for the care sector to introduce collaboration between agencies to relieve ongoing pressures across the board.
We want to ensure the Budget commitments made this year don’t act as a veil that stifles true progress for the NHS and care sector but that continued investment and a focus on improving care remain a priority with collaboration the guiding principle.
Resources have undoubtedly been stretched considerably, and waiting times remain a consistent concern for patients, staff, and the Government alike. But if you are to ask any healthcare professional about why waiting times are so high, the answer nearly always reverts to problems with primary care services.
Primary care encompasses various services including care at home, care homes, social work and community care. It represents the middle section between someone being unwell in hospital and no longer requiring regular treatment.
However, we have seen budget cuts in this area. Whether it is from social care services via local authorities, or care homes with rapidly increasing energy and staff costs, primary care services are working wonders given their lack of resources.
The consequences are that people do not receive appropriate care during the transitional phase between hospital stays and returning home. We know that for many, so-called bed blocking takes place, with those no longer needing hospital care remaining as an in-patient. Or there is a lack of support when people do return home which leads to complications in their recovery and sadly too many people end up simply returning to the hospital.
Collaboration is needed across primary care organisations, allowing a better flow of information and improved assessments of the support needed without funding being a blocker for what might be possible. What is perhaps most frustrating is that if every organisation truly worked in partnership then the potential savings could fund the changes required.
It costs approximately £4,000 per week to operate a general ward bed within the NHS (£586 per day). In contrast, a care home bed costs around £1,000 per week. Rather than having a patient waiting in hospital to be discharged perhaps a transitional agreement could be made to allow a patient to recover in a care home for a short period of time.
This would save the NHS money, reduce bed blocking, provide quality social care for the patient and ensure that care providers and the NHS are working closer together to monitor and manage workload.
Alternatively, the social care department could be supported to provide at-home care service for this transitional period, helping to assess the level of support required moving forward. This would help reduced readmissions to hospital and allow the patient to return home earlier.
Providing the best possible outcome for individuals must always remain at the heart of decision making.
Fundamentally, collaboration has the power to unlock optimum care packages that are tailored to individual needs and I am calling for organisations to work together and progress a people-focused future for care services.
Sunita Poddar is Chief Executive Office and Founder of Oakminster Healthcare
Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk
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