Hospital patient discharges putting strain on Devon's care sector

Devon care homes say they are being asked to accept patients with Covid-19, flu and other infectious diseases to ease the pressure on local hospitals.

One owner said it felt like the start of the pandemic again, as the safety of care homes was being "compromised".

Devon has some of the longest waits for emergency care in the country, according to NHS figures.

Simon Spiller, owner of The Croft Residential Care Home in Newton Abbot, said since the start of winter the home was being asked to shortcut its assessment process to help ease the blockages in Devon's hospitals.

He said other local care homes have told him they were facing the same pressure.

Mr Spiller said: "We're being encouraged, or really asked, to shortcut our assessment process. Normally, one of our team would go to the hospital to assess people, to really understand their care needs, to ensure they're an appropriate fit for our care home, which specialises in dementia.

"Increasingly, because of the speed they're trying to achieve a discharge, we're being asked to accept people at kind of face value, as presented by the NHS."

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Source: BBC News, 26 January 2023