Calderdale Council working on plan to free up more hospital and care home beds

The council is working with health partners to develop a strategy aimed at keeping people out of hospital and not relying on intermediate care in homes, councillors have been told.

The plan aims to keep hospital beds free and ensure people can be safely cared for in their communities, with new urgent community response teams on hand to properly assess their needs.

Councillors hearing about the strategy were concerned it seemed complicated and wanted information made available in layman’s terms.

Care chiefs said families should have a clear point of contact and, when they leave hospital, it should be clear to patients and their families exactly what was going to happen and when.

The council’s assistant director for adult social care Sean Cook said: “The essence will be about keeping people out of hospital and making sure that when they are being discharged we have an eye on them straight away.”

The new urgent community response teams will have a clinical, but non-GP, lead and medical staff ranging from clinicians to district nurses will be involved in people’s care as appropriate, councillors heard.

Coun Mike Barnes (Lab, Skircoat) asked if there was not a simple flow diagram to show people what would happen when they left care and adults, health and social care ccrutiny board chairman Coun Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse) agreed there should be a document people could take away so they knew from day one of discharge what their care would be.

Mr Cook said the system was complex, with three potential pathways on discharge – people going to intermediate care beds, to short-term “discharge to assess” beds or to be supported at home.

The details were still being worked on and likely to change before the strategy was ready, hopefully in October.

Coun Christine Prashad (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) asked what effect a number of care homes closing recently was having.

Mr Cook said these had caused challenges but the council had agreements for care home places and was constantly working with providers to ensure there was sufficient numbers.

Issues showed why partners wanted to put emphasis on caring for people at home, he said.