NHS winter crisis eased by families turning to local home care company

Home Instead Swindon and Vale of White Horse has seen a rise in recent months and years of enquiries from families looking for hospital discharge or reablement support as they struggle to get elderly relatives home from hospital.

The latest stats find that on average, Great Western Hospital Trust has 93.5% of beds occupied overnight (to 23^rd November 2023) suggesting that many wards are full and hospital staff are overwhelmed. Data from the Institute for Government found that one in seven hospital beds were occupied by someone who was eligible for discharge during the winter of 2022/23.

Last winter, two thirds of Home Instead’s national network experienced an increase in demand for consultation requests from prospective clients or their families specifically referencing hospital discharge or reablement support.

As the state funded social care system struggles to provide adequate support, families are desperate for their loved ones to return safely from hospital. Home Instead Swindon & Vale of White Horse as a private home care provider can work with NHS discharge teams to free up beds and alleviate the pressure faced by hospital staff. Many people in hospital are well enough to be discharged, but unfortunately the discharge care needs can’t be met by state funded care.

Sarah-Jane Rawlings, Care Services Superior of Home Instead Swindon & Vale of White Horse, says: “Clearly, hospitals are under huge pressure. When people are in hospital, it’s really important to get them home as quickly as possible once they are medically fit to do so.

“It all comes down to better integration of the health and social care systems. We can work with NHS discharge teams to give patients a safe return home and get patients home to recover as quickly as possible.”

Home Instead’s post hospital discharge care includes personal care, such as catheter care, stoma and peg feed (enteral feeding) care delivered by care professionals who have received additional training.  Our supervisors always ensure we speak to someone from the hospital discharge team before they return home, to gain information about how they are, any changes in their care needs or medication, and ensure we update their care plans and feed changes back to the Care Pros so it’s safe and seamless.

Home Instead also offers live-in care, which involves a care professional moving in with a client and providing support throughout the day.

For more information on the services provided or to find out about joining their team, please call Home Instead Swindon and Vale of White Horse on 01793 232 585 or visit https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/swindon