An innovative service changing how people in North Lanarkshire recover in their own homes rather than staying in hospital yesterday (Wednesday, 28 August) welcomed a visit from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
Neil Gray MSP joined University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire (UHSCNL) staff at Wishaw’s Houldsworth Centre to meet the Home Assessment Team which supports people discharged from hospital to lead independent lives at home.
The team carries out an ongoing assessment of each person’s specific needs in their home with wrap-around support for up to two weeks and often sees them within hours of their discharge from hospital.
Made up of a range of health and social care staff, the team will agree with each patient what their goals are and what their assessment should focus on. Some people won’t need support when returning home, but may benefit from some equipment or technology to help with daily living tasks.
A number of the partnership’s staff were also on hand to share the successes of other programmes designed to help patients leave hospital so that they can remain part of their communities.
Staff told the Health Secretary how they have dramatically cut the number of people whose discharges are being delayed through programmes such as the Wishaw Enabling Hub work, Operation Flow and the Discharge Without Delay and Planned Date of Discharge initiatives.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I was delighted to meet the Home Assessment team who are making such good progress in addressing delayed discharges by supporting people who come out of hospital in their own homes and preventing people from hospital admission in the first place.
“This is a good example of the work taking place across the country to make sure people can leave hospital as soon as they’re ready to do so.”
Professor Ross McGuffie, chief officer, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “Hospital is the right place for specialised care when people are very sick, however studies show that people recover better in their own homes with the support of family and friends.
“Our highly skilled staff are committed to cutting delayed discharges and are making great progress in making sure people don’t have to stay in hospital any longer than strictly necessary. Crucially, by cutting the number of delayed discharges, this work is also playing a central role in freeing up beds for those most in need.
“Today was an important opportunity to showcase their great work to the Cabinet Secretary and show him the positive impact their dedication is having on people who can now recover in their own homes.
“By assessing each person’s needs in their own environment, our teams can work with people to assess what they’re managing well and what might be a bit more challenging. The team can aid recovery, building up of strength and how people can undertake daily tasks safely and independently.”
Michael Breen, Deputy Chief Executive – Finance, Performance and Risk & Director of Finance, NHS Lanarkshire, said: “One of our key targets is improving the patient journey. This begins as soon as someone is admitted to hospital and, through early and effective planning, we can prevent unnecessary delays in getting them home.
“We know from feedback that when someone goes into hospital, invariably the first question that is asked is ‘when am I going home?’ Therefore, it’s vital for a patient’s recovery that they can leave hospital as soon as they are clinically ready and recover in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
“The vital ingredient in making this work as seamlessly as possible is the joined up working between NHS staff, the hospital-based social care workers and our community teams. Our staff work incredibly hard to make sure people can return home as soon as possible and they deserve immense credit for the caring and safe way they do this.”
