We are reminded almost daily of how much pressure the NHS is under at the moment. Long wait lists, GP appointment backlogs and short staffing are all contributing to the pressures the NHS are facing.
“The NHS is under enormous pressure from COVID and flu, and on top of tackling the backlog caused by the pandemic, Strep A and upcoming strikes, this winter poses an extreme challenge,” Steve Barclay, health minister, said in the statement.
In December 2022 NHS England indicated that the number of patients who stayed in a hospital bed *with a length of stay of 21+ days after they were deemed fit for discharge was 123,990.
People who would normally be discharged after a hospital visit, are staying in much longer than is required simply because of the struggles to put the right care and support in place for them within the community or at home. The knock on effect of this is not only increasing the strain on the NHS but costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.
A vast majority of the patients who are ready to be discharged could easily be living at home, they just need help from visiting or live-in care professionals. If people who are able to, leave the hospital and convalesce at home, it would free up beds for people who need it more.
Now that we are living with Covid, it’s more important than ever to make sure that people who need care are getting it and that those who want to stay in their own homes can do so safely and comfortably. People are living a lot longer than they used to, which is great, providing appropriate care is in place for them. These people still need support with their daily living tasks.
Another factor impacting our hospitals is that routine GP appointments are much more difficult to get hold of, meaning that people who would normally be seen and treated by the GP are going to hospital to have their symptoms checked out instead.
But what if you’re a hospital patient and you need to be discharged?
You may want to consider putting visiting or live-in homecare in place. Care after a hospital stay is also often known as reablement care. We are all generally happiest in our own homes, with all our familiar things around us. For lots of us, getting home as quickly as possible can make all the difference. At GoodOaks, we believe the main objective of care after hospital is to help your loved one resume their day-to-day life. We want to enable them to regain as much independence as possible. We aim to help clients do as much of their daily routine as they can, as well as handling the more challenging tasks.
How much does homecare cost? It can be difficult to find information about the finances associated with funding your own care. It can vary depending where you live but knowing how much you’ll have to pay can help you budget.
To find out more information and to speak with a member or our team, please get in touch with us.
* NHS England (All acute trusts) – This indicator shows delayed days as a proportion of all adult occupied bed days at each NHS Trust Number of additional bed days, patients with length of stay of 21+ days in December 2022 was 123,990 (w/c 12/12/2022 daily snapshot)
* Reuters