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Showing results for tags 'Community care'.
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News Article
Pharmacy leaders hit out at NHS England ads redirecting patients from GPs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Pharmacies do not have the capacity to absorb pressure from GPs unless it comes with additional funding, pharmacy leaders have warned. A new NHS England ad campaign, announced earlier this week, aims to redirect patients from GP practices to local pharmacies for minor conditions such as coughs, aches, cystitis and colds. But community pharmacy negotiating body PSNC has spoken out against the campaign calling it ‘deeply concerning’, ‘irresponsible, ‘extremely unhelpful’ and ‘irritating’. Malcom Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) said: ‘Community pharmacies are often the best place for patient to go for help with minor health concerns. ‘However the current situation that many pharmacies find themselves, with a 30% cut in real term funding, the NHS recruiting their pharmacists and technicians to work in general practice and with the continuing increase in the number of medicines prescribed, will mean that there is now a very real risk that when patients visit a pharmacy, they will be faced by exhausted teams and longer than expected waiting times. ‘The NHS policy of moving asking patients to visit their local pharmacy does not address the problem of delays to access in primary care, it simply moves it from one pressurized location to another. The NHS must address the chronic underfunding of primary care, and of pharmacy in particular, if patients are to be able to access the care they need and should rightly expect.’ Read full story Source: Pulse, 28 February 2023 -
Content ArticleThis report details the findings of a thematic review of Safe and wellbeing reviews (SWRs) between October 2021 and May 2022. SWRs are undertaken for children, young people and adults that are autistic and/or have a learning disability who are being cared for in a mental health inpatient setting. SWRs are part of the NHS response to the safeguarding adults review concerning the tragic deaths of Joanna, Jon, and Ben at Cawston Park Hospital, who were each detained for a long period of time and did not receive appropriate care.
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Content ArticleCommunity health services help people to stay healthy and live independently at home, but it has proved difficult to realise a long-standing ambition to deliver more services out of hospital. In this Nuffield Trust explainer, Sarah Scobie and Stephanie Kumpunen describe what community services are, who uses and provides them, who pays for them, and some of the challenges they face.
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Content ArticleDifficulties discharging over thirteen thousand patients safely are slowing the flow through hospitals while being stuck in hospital when you don’t need medical care is both mentally and physically harmful. People risk picking up hospital acquired infections, muscle loss and impaired mobility, reduced confidence and independence skills. However, according to Gilda Peterson, Leeds KONP and Secretary, End Social Care, there are ten things wrong with the Government's plan to give the NHS £200m to buy beds in care homes, hotels, hospices and independent hospitals.
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News Article
‘NHS factors’ lead to more than a third of delayed discharges
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than a third of delayed discharges for long-stay patients are being caused by factors generally associated with the NHS, according to new data obtained by HSJ. Delayed discharges from hospital are often blamed on issues around social care, but figures for the nine months to January, for patients who have been in hospital for at least 21 days, suggest a significant proportion are due to NHS-related delays. The most common reason is waiting for rehabilitation beds in a community hospital or similar facility, which accounts for 23% of total delayed discharges, based on daily averages. Other reasons generally associated with NHS-related issues included delays around medical decisions (4%), therapist decisions (4 per cent), transfers to another acute site (2%), and diagnostic tests (1%). On top of this, a further 12% of the causes were at least partly associated with the NHS, such as delays relating to transfer of care hubs, which are generally jointly run with councils. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 February 2023 -
Content ArticleThis report by The Queen's Nursing Institute presents the findings of a survey of community nurses (also known as district nurses) conducted in 2022 to look at how digital technologies are used in community nursing. The survey found that: 43.1% respondents reported problems with lack of compatibility between different computer systems, compared to 32.7% in 2017 87% respondents reported issues with mobile connectivity, compared to 85% in 2017 53%.respondents reported problems with device battery life, compared to 29.5% in 2017 The report concludes that overall, the community nursing workforce has a high level of digital literacy and that poor user experience frequently appears to be around design and function rather than a lack of literacy or enthusiasm for technology. The workforce also has an appetite for high functioning technology and can see the potential of new applications, for example, in managing wound care or long-term conditions.
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EventuntilTaking place over two days in July, this virtual conference will provide you with the insight and guidance to best manage competing agendas and play an active role in shaping local services Join experts from across the health and care sector and gain the confidence to: navigate the evolving role of primary care in communities take an active role in shaping local services champion the voice of patients in primary care support multidisciplinary teams working to deliver integrated care around the needs of the population at neighbourhood and place level prioritise and support staff mental health and wellbeing to reduce burnout. Register
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News ArticleCommunity health workers are stepping in to provide critical services and information in rural areas in Texas, USA, with few hospitals or doctors. When Claudia Salazar and her family migrated to San Elizario, Texas, a small city in El Paso county, they settled into a colonia – informal, low-income housing often found in rural parts along the US-Mexico border. But the remoteness of their new home soon presented problems – Salazar suddenly found herself in a medical desert. The nearest hospital is a 35-minute drive away. Even that is challenging to get to – the community’s mostly farm worker population works 10- to 12-hour days, and often lacks adequate time to travel for medical attention between workdays. The lack of consistent medical access is just one of the many public health issues that colonias face, and a group of women familiar with the dynamics in this region thought of a relatively simple solution: bringing medical care to the people who need it most in these borderland communities. “Familias Triunfadoras has been really helpful since they provide a mobile unit clinic,” Salazar said. “That’s when we get a chance to visit a doctor or get a doctor’s appointment.” Familias Triunfadoras is a San Elizario-based non-profit that is composed of women who step in as community organizers to connect residents like Salazar to resources they may not know exist. Their efforts to make healthcare more accessible in medical deserts like San Elizario has proven invaluable to residents. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 February 2023
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EventuntilThis Westminster Health Forum conference will focus on next steps for pharmacy services in healthcare delivery, and opportunities to develop the role of community pharmacy as part of the health service in England. It comes amidst proposals to increase prescribing powers for pharmacists and reform training to enable pharmacists to work as independent prescribers immediately following graduation, as well as the Health Secretary announcing additional pharmacy services within the Primary Care Recovery Plan, and also indicating that implementation of a Pharmacy First system in England is being considered. The conference takes place against the backdrop of an evolving healthcare landscape, including developments in integrated care systems and digital transformation, an expected update to the NHS Long Term Plan, and wider strategic initiatives to implement alternatives to medicine, such as the Overprescribing Review. We expect discussion on opportunities to develop pharmacy services as a key component of future NHS and community care delivery. It will include keynote sessions with Gisela Abbam, Chair, General Pharmaceutical Council; Andrew Lane, Chair, National Pharmacy Association; Matthew Armstrong, Senior Manager, Pharmacy Contracts and Project Developments, Walgreens Boots Alliance; and a senior speaker confirmed from the Professional Record Standards Body. Overall, areas for discussion include: strategic ambitions: the opportunity for a Pharmacy First scheme in England - long-term aims for pharmacy services in the context of an updated NHS Long Term Plan. community pharmacy: future role in improvements to key service areas such as general practice, primary care and the ambulance service - delivering medicine optimisation in community care. the workforce: priorities for upskilling - improving training to increase the number of independent prescribers and develop the services that pharmacists can offer. digital pharmacy: key areas for expansion - supporting efficiency in prescription management - potential for digital services to allow patients more control over their care. further development areas: social prescribing services and non-medical treatments - the NHS STOMP programme - structured medicine reviews to support reduction of overprescribing. Register
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Content ArticleTo support recovery of the NHS by improving waiting times and patient experience, a joint Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England plan sets out a number of ambitions, including: Patients being seen more quickly in emergency departments: with the ambition to improve to 76% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours by March 2024, with further improvement in 2024/25. Ambulances getting to patients quicker: with improved ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average over 2023/24, with further improvement in 2024/25 towards pre-pandemic levels. NHS England has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to develop the plan, and it draws on a diverse range of opinion and experience, as well as views of patients and users. The Department of Health and Social Care, who produced the content on actions being taken in social care, have led on engagement with the sector.
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Content Article
In this blog Patient Safety Learning considers the impact on patient safety of the shortage of hospital beds facing the NHS this winter. It focuses on two specific issues stemming from this, the increasing numbers of patients being cared for in corridors and other non-clinical areas, and current proposals to reduce the number of patients waiting to be discharged.- Posted
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Content ArticleYoung people and expert mental healthcare staff say patients are unlikely to receive in-patient mental health care unless they “have attempted suicide multiple times”, according to a new report published by Look Ahead Care and Support. Launched in the House of Lords, the report – funded by Wates Family Enterprise Trust and produced by experts Care Research – argues Accident and Emergency departments have become an ‘accidental hub’ for children and young people experiencing crisis but are ill-equipped to offer the treatment required. Based on in-depth interviews with service users, parents and carers, and NHS and social care staff from across England, the findings from the Look Ahead Care and Support report draws on experience of treating depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, eating disorders, addiction and psychosis.
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Content ArticleThe Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) collects, measures and reports on the care provided by Fracture Liaison Services (FLSs). This annual report presents the results of secondary fracture prevention care received by patients aged 50 and older following a fragility fracture between January and December 2021. Based on 70,384 patient records in 2021 (compared with 70,614 in 2019), it found that there has been a reduction in both case identification and assessment performance, but an improvement in treatment recommendation, monitoring and follow up, when comparing national data from 2021 with 2019.
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Content ArticleThis document summarises the current landscape of virtual wards from the perspective of healthcare for older people, and provides advice to those looking to set up such services for older people living with frailty.
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News Article
Care providers ask for doubled fees to care for people discharged from hospitals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Care providers are demanding double the usual fees to look after thousands of people who need to be discharged from hospitals to ease the crisis in the NHS. Care England, which represents the largest private care home providers, said on Sunday it wanted the government to pay them £1,500 a week per person, citing the need to pay care workers more and hire rehabilitation specialists so people languishing in hospital can eventually be sent home. The rate is about double what most local authorities currently pay for care home beds, an amount Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, described as “inadequate”. The demand comes as the health secretary, Steve Barclay promised “urgent action” with up to £250m in new funding for the NHS to buy care beds to clear wards of medically fit patients. The money will be used to buy beds in care homes, hospices and hotels where people are looked after by homecare providers, as well as pay for hospital upgrades. Stays will be no longer than four weeks until the end of March. The use of hotels as care homes began during the pandemic and has been controversial, with reports of problems with hygiene and supplies of specialist equipment. The charity Age UK last week criticised their renewed use as “not an appropriate place to provide high-quality care for older people in need of support to recuperate after a spell in hospital”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 January 2023 -
Content ArticleThis paper from Natalie Offord and colleagues describes a service redesign in which has gained learning and experience in two areas. First, a description of measured improvement by the innovation of redesigning the traditional hospital-based assessment of frail older patients’ home support needs (assess to discharge) into their own home and meeting those needs in real time (discharge to assess). In combination with the formation of a collaborative health and social care community team to deliver this new process, there has been a reduction in the length of stay from completion of acute hospital care to getting home (from 5.5 days to 1.2 days for those patients that require support at home). Second, the methodology through which this has been achieved. The authors describe their translation of a Toyota methodology used for the design of complex cars to use for engaging staff and patients in the design of a healthcare process.
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News Article
Patients ‘warehoused’ and ‘lost in the system’ amid rush to discharge
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More and more older people are being “warehoused” in inappropriate care beds, condemned unnecessarily to long-term care, and “lost” to health and care services, due to the rush to discharge from full hospitals and a lack of community rehab services, leaders have warned. Several senior figures in community and social care have raised the issue with HSJ, warning it has been a growing concern over the past 18 months of severe system pressure following on from acute covid peaks. The Health and Safety Investigation Branch has also raised the issue, telling HSJ inappropriate care placements are leading to harm and readmissions, while a major accountability gap remained over the safety of discharges. The average length of hospital stay has increased compared to pre-Covid, with a big jump in those staying more than three weeks. Many in the NHS put this down to a lack of social care capacity meaning more medically fit people are stuck in hospital. Senior staff in community health and social care services told HSJ hospitals were increasingly demanding rapid discharges, often as part of “surge” measures when they are very full and under pressure to reduce ambulance queues. Homecare cannot be organised, and with suitable step-down and care beds also full, trusts are instead “spot purchasing” space in unsuitable homes which may be a long journey from the person’s home area, and in a different council area. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 5 January 2023 Further reading HSIB interim bulletin - Harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care -
News Article
Council providing three-minute care visits to vulnerable, finds ombudsman
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Care workers are taking as little as three minutes to help vulnerable people in their own homes, the social care ombudsman has found, after discovering a council was allocating extremely short visits to hundreds of people. Amid chronic staff shortages and rising unmet care needs nationwide, a homecare worker commissioned by Warrington borough council sometimes stayed for just three minutes, despite the family paying for the full visit. The council was found to have allocated 15-minute care calls to more than 300 people in the region, despite national guidance stressing these were “not usually appropriate”. The Homecare Association, which represents care providers, said the number of short calls being commissioned was increasing more widely and said “15-minute visits are inappropriately short”, result in inadequate care and are stressful for workers placed under “unfair pressure”. The case that triggered the investigation involved a woman with dementia who was paying the full costs of her care under a plan devised by the council. In 15 minutes two agency care workers were expected to wake her, prepare a meal and a drink, ensure she ate and drank, administer her medication, change her incontinence pad, administer any personal care and tidy the kitchen. Electronic monitoring showed they regularly stayed less than 15 minutes and the ombudsman said it was probable her care needs were not met and her care was not dignified. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 January 2023 -
Content ArticleThis video by Solent NHS Trust looks at the role of Community Partners in helping the Trust engage in conversations with the community in a meaningful, sustained way. It includes interviews with: Anastasia Lungu-Mulenga, Head of Community Engagement at Solent NHS Trust Annie Clelow, Manager of Communicare Southampton Anne Cato, Community Partner Joe Jennes, Senior coordinator, Carers in Southampton Ellie and Ray from the CAMHS youth participation group Sapna Vohra, Community engagement facilitator Sarah Balchin, Associate director, community engagement
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Content ArticleHospitals are crammed full of patients, the staffing crisis in adult social care continues to escalate, and alarming numbers of junior doctors report that they are planning to quit their NHS posts to work abroad. The multiple problems confronting the UK’s health and care system are interconnected and have been years in the making. While the pandemic exacerbated many of them, hugely increasing pressures on staff, political failures and, above all, a lack of investment are making it impossible for the service to stand still this winter – let alone recover. This Guardian Editorial gives its view on the current state of the NHS.
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News ArticleTechnology that accurately predicts when patients will be ready to leave hospital upon their arrival in A&E is being introduced to solve the NHS bed-blocking crisis. The artificial intelligence (AI) software analyses data including age, medical conditions and previous hospital stays to estimate how long a patient will need to remain. Hospital managers can then alert social care services in advance about the date when patients are expected to be discharged, allowing care home beds or community care packages to be prepared. Nurses said the technology had “revolutionised” their ability to discharge patients on time, meaning people who would otherwise have been stuck in hospital had got home for Christmas. The new technology, developed by the British AI company Faculty, is being tested at four NHS hospitals in Wales belonging to the Hywel Dda health board. Analysis suggests that the tool will save NHS trusts 3,000 bed days and £1.4 million a year by speeding up discharges, which in turn frees beds for elective procedures such as hip replacements. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 26 December 2022
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News ArticleFamilies of people with dementia have said there is a national crisis in care safety as it emerged that more than half of residential homes reported on by inspectors this year were rated “inadequate” or requiring improvement – up from less than a third pre-pandemic. Serious and often shocking failings uncovered in previously “good” homes in recent months include people left in bed “for months”, pain medicine not being administered, violence between residents and malnutrition – including one person who didn’t eat for a month. In homes in England where standards have slumped from “good” to “inadequate”, residents’ dressings went unchanged for 20 days, there were “revolting” filthy carpets, “unexplained and unwitnessed wounds” and equipment was ”encrusted with dirt”, inspectors’ reports showed. Nearly one in 10 care homes in England that offer dementia support reported on by Care Quality Commission inspectors in 2022 were given the very worst rating – more than three times the ratio in 2019, according to Guardian analysis. Read full story Source: 29 December 2022
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News ArticleHundreds of thousands of children have been left waiting by the NHS for the developmental therapies they need, with some waiting more than two years, The Independent can reveal. The long waiting lists for services such as speech and language therapy will see a generation of children held back in their development and will “impact Britain for the long haul”, according to the head of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). More than 1,500 children have been left waiting for two years for NHS therapies, according to internal data obtained by The Independent, while a further 9,000 have been waiting for more than a year. The total waiting list for children’s care in the community is 209,000. Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the RCPCH, told The Independent: “The extent of the community waiting lists is extremely alarming. Community health services such as autism services, mental health support and speech and language therapy play a vital role in a child’s development into healthy adulthood, and in helping children from all backgrounds reach their full potential. “A lack of access to community health services also has direct implications for children and families in socio-economic terms. Delays accessing these essential services can impact social development, school readiness and educational outcomes, and further drive health inequalities across the country.” She said health and care staff are working immensely hard, but that without support they will struggle to address the long delays, which will “impact Britain for the long haul”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 26 December 2022
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News Article
Pharmacies say they’ll collapse without funding
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
England’s network of community pharmacies is “close to collapse”, with serious consequences for millions of patients, industry leaders have warned. In a letter sent to Steve Barclay, the health secretary, they cautioned that “as a sector we are now at a fork in the road”, and urged him to “make a critical choice about the role you want pharmacies to play”. The government has said it wants to make more use of community pharmacies in England to ease pressures on GP surgeries and accident and emergency departments. But the letter argues that funding cuts over the past seven years makes this goal unrealistic. It warns: “Many pharmacies are now dispensing at a loss and facing a serious cashflow crisis which we fear if not addressed, will rapidly move towards many permanent closures. We fear that once they start, closures will be hard to stop, as the sector is now so fragile other pharmacies would struggle to pick up the slack. “We are deeply concerned that this will put medicine supply at risk — with serious consequences for the millions of people who rely on dispensed prescriptions every year.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 23 December 2022 -
Content ArticleThis study in Plos One used a prospective error analysis method—the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA)—to examine the process of dispensing medication in community pharmacy settings and identify solutions to avoid potential errors. These solutions were categorised as strong, intermediate or weak based on an established patient safety action hierarchy tool. The authors identified 88 potential errors with a total of 35 remedial solutions proposed to avoid these errors in practice. Sixteen (46%) of these remedial measures were categorised as weak, 14 (40%) as intermediate and 5 (14%) as strong according to the Veteran Affairs National Centre for Patient Safety action hierarchy. The authors suggest that future research should examine the effectiveness of the proposed remedial solutions to improve patient safety.
