Families are increasingly using private care providers to help get elderly relatives home from hospital, new research has shown.
According to home-care provider Home Instead, two thirds (64%) of its national network is experiencing an increase in demand for consultation requests from prospective clients or their families, specifically looking for hospital discharge or reablement support.
The provider said it is also seeing “unprecedented demand” from NHS discharge planners seeking community provision, with 27% of its network noting a spike in demand from their local NHS trusts.
The problem is particularly acute in certain parts of the country, with Chichester and Bognor Regis witnessing a 1000% increase in demand over the past 24 months, while Tunbridge Wells has seen demand double and North Lanarkshire has seen a 75% increase.
Over half (53%) of Home Instead’s network said NHS workers have expressed feeling under pressure with regards to bed blocking. Recent figures show there are more than 14,000 patients in UK hospitals well enough to be discharged if basic care was available in the community. However, 84% of respondents said they do not think NHS discharge planners understand the advantages and capabilities of modern/advanced home care or are aware that many tasks can now easily be completed in the home.
Martin Jones, CEO of Home Instead, said: “Our data shows clearly the stress both families and the NHS are being put under by the lack of available provision in the community. More worryingly, it shows a lack of understanding within parts of the NHS as to how advanced home care practices could be utilised to ease pressure on the health service.
“We welcome the Government’s plan to focus more on the home but it is important rhetoric becomes a reality to tackle the anguish many families feel seeing their loved ones needlessly stuck in hospital. We strongly believe that the home is a much-overlooked potential ally to the NHS. The NHS should allocate tasks to providers outside the bricks and mortar of the hospital to start relieving pressure on our overburdened NHS.”
