As part of the government’s plan to alleviate the unprecedented pressure on English hospitals. Thousands of NHS patients will be moved into care homes.
In response to the winter crisis, the NHS will receive £250 million to purchase thousands of beds in care homes and upgrade hospitals.
The initiative aims to free up hospital beds so patients can be admitted from A&E to hospital wards more quickly.
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary for Labour, described the announcement as “another sticking plaster.”
The plans will be included in the emergency package that Health Secretary Steve Barclay will unveil.
Later in the day, Mr. Barclay will outline a series of measures to alleviate pressures on the NHS. Such as long wait times for emergency care and delays in discharging patients who are medically fit to leave the hospital.
NHS to buy care beds for hospital space
The government estimates that approximately 13,000 medically fit patients are currently occupying beds in England.
In the upcoming weeks, a portion of these patients will be discharged from hospitals into the community. Where they will continue to receive recovery care.
“Timely discharge from the hospital is more important than ever,” stated Helen Whatley, minister for care. It is beneficial for patients and helps hospitals make room for those in need of urgent care.
In six regions of England, the Monday-announced plan will include trials of alternative ideas to free up hospital beds.
Dedicated dementia hubs and new options for rehabilitative care. According to the government, could be implemented across the NHS if successful.
The funds are naturally welcomed by the NHS. But it’s also being questioned why it’s taken so long to release the £500 million in winter funding that was announced in September. The primary purpose of which was to combat delayed discharges.
In addition, the NHS is still waiting for £300 million of the original £500 million pot.
As the Truss administration collapsed in the fall, the NHS was left waiting for the winter funding.
The first installment finally arrived at the beginning of December. And the remainder is due by the end of this month, according to the government.
But many in the NHS believe they would have had a better chance of managing some of the problems if it had been administered sooner.
Wes Streeting responded to the announcement by stating that the government’s failure to improve social care has left thousands of medically fit patients stranded.
He stated, “It is worse for patients and more expensive for taxpayers.”
Breakdown
Of the new funding, £200 million will be used to purchase additional care home beds. While £50 million will be used to upgrade hospitals.
Plans to upgrade hospitals will aim to reduce ambulance wait times by creating maneuvering space for vehicles. And by funding discharge areas so that patients can be moved out of intensive care beds.
The package arrives at a time when an increase in Covid and influenza infections is putting severe strain on the NHS, in addition to the pandemic-caused backlog.
A&E wait times and ambulance delays are at all-time highs.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated in a speech last week that reducing NHS waiting lists was one of his top priorities for this year.
Mr. Sunak and Mr. Barclay hosted health leaders for emergency discussions at Downing Street on Saturday. As A&E units struggle to meet demand and trust and ambulance services report critical incidents.
The health secretary will meet with union leaders on Monday in response to an escalating number of strikes by health care workers.
However, nurses are expected to strike for an additional two days this month if Mr. Barclay remains unwilling to negotiate on this year’s pay settlement.
Some in Whitehall have suggested that a lump sum payment to health staff could be a solution to the impasse.
The idea was discussed in Government last year but lacked the support of Number Ten and the Treasury.
