It has set out the case for permanent funding to support the ‘discharge to assess’ model and sustain progress. The NHS Confederation fear this will lead to a damaging ‘cliff edge’ of increased length of stay, delayed discharges, pressures on resources and avoidable readmissions from April 2022.
Discharge funding has been reduced from six to four weeks and will end on 31 March 2022 adding further challenges to local authority budgets.
Has gone home from hospital plus#
Councils face growing financial pressure as Government emergency funding has not been sufficient to cover lost income plus the cost of their COVID-19 response. We must learn from this to address immediate concerns with citizens, carers, workers and providers, not least because we continue to experience high infection rates, new variants and severe winter pressures.
Tragically, the care sector has been at the centre of the UK COVID-19 outbreak. This must though be set in the context of choice as well as sustainable support that builds confidence and makes a positive difference to people and their networks. The model aligns with the strategic direction to deliver more care within and closer to home. NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) reported a 28% reduction in patients staying over 21 days in hospital between winter 2020/21 and winter 2021/22. (Analysis by Age UK shows that the average excess bed day - the cost of a patient remaining in a hospital bed after their treatment has ended - costs £346.) The discharge to assess model has been effective at reducing stays and supporting timely discharge. Whilst there was much emphasis on expanding existing capacity through care homes and home care, there was also community innovation that enabled choice and flexibility through, for example, direct payments, Shared Lives, micro-enterprises and targeted step-down support.Įvidence shows that it is better for people, and more cost effective, where clinically appropriate, to spend a short a time as possible in hospital, and to avoid going in to hospital when healthcare can be delivered safely in the home environment. For commissioners, this was crisis market shaping at pace to meet the demand. It required transfer off wards within one hour of a discharge decision to a designated discharge area, and then discharge from hospital as soon as possible, normally within two hours.Ĭouncils responded rapidly to deploy resources and work with NHS colleagues to establish and enhance discharge routes. The government guidance applicable at that time directed rapid discharge of everyone clinically ready. Hospitals, in effect, closed to all but urgent and emergency care.
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It highlights challenges faced and good practice to prevent unnecessary stays and admissions going forward.įrom March 2020 there was urgent pressure to free up 30,000 (National Audit Office, 2021) NHS beds to cope with COVID-19 admissions.
This guide discusses the lessons learned from hospital discharge and avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital discharge and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions (COVID-19)
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