Agenda item

Mark Joynes, Service Manager Access presented the submitted report which outlined the progress and developments which had been made to improve discharge for patients following the review of hospital discharge arrangements.

It was noted that the continued increase in the population of older people in Rotherham had contributed to an increase in hospital admissions. This was expected to continue with the potential for increases in hospital admissions and discharges, and subsequent pressure on finite resources to deliver quality health and social care support services to customers within specific time frames.

There were ongoing initiatives in place to avoid inappropriate admissions into acute care and developments to provide alternative levels of care pathways and support services.  Different groups had been established and re-established to plan and deliver improved services.

Adult Services continued to be an active member of the Emergency Care Network Group, a multi agency membership whose purpose was to develop integrated and effective Urgent and Emergency Care Services and pathways across the Health and Social Care Community.  Safe and timely discharge of patients was an element of this work.

The Discharge Monitoring Group had been re-established and now had two groups, a strategic and an operational group.  The purpose of the strategic group was to bring about a substantial improvement in the discharge process, involving all stakeholder partners, in accordance with government guidance and legislation and was accountable to the Emergency Network Group.  One purpose of the operational group was to review process and protocols pertaining to discharge in response to operational practice, learning and also in response to both customer comments and complaints.

The Adult Services Customer Quality Team produces quarterly Excellence Performance reports which are obtained and produced by a variety of methods including customers’ involvement.  The report evidenced a high level of customer satisfaction with an improvement of service delivery of social care ranging in the lower 90% satisfaction from the previous quarter to higher 90% range of satisfaction for the first quarter of 2010.

There was partnership working between Health and Social Care complaints departments both regionally and locally operating through their comments and complaints procedures, pertaining to hospital discharge.

Other developments had been the permanent appointment of a part time Health and Social Care Co-ordinator for BME patients, who would provide information and advice on their admission into hospital.

There was a proactive focus by Adult Services through their Health and Social Care Information Facilitators, to provide information to carers or family members who were likely to require community care services on discharge from hospital, and advice in respect of available health and social care services prior to the allocation of a social worker.

The continued successful recruitment to vacant posts had increased the number of new social workers and enabled some increased degree of flexibility to patients and carers in respect of appointments.

There were two part time stroke co-ordinators employed by Adult Services who operated on the stroke ward and provided additional advice and support to patients who declined or were not eligible for social worker involvement, in preparation for their discharge from hospital.

A relatively new development was the creation of a dedicated team from Adult Services and Rotherham Foundation Trust.  This team would provide consistency in the application of NHS Continuing Health Care Framework whilst also enhancing the patient’s opportunity to be successfully assessed against the eligibility criteria.

A question and answer session ensued and the following issues were discussed:-

• Reference was made to the waiting times being experienced by patients for prescriptions before being discharged and a query was raised as to what action was being taken to alleviate this problem.
• A query was raised about what measures were in place to deal with the increased number of old people during the winter months.
• Reference was made to the Council’s “Grow your Own” scheme which provided social care officers with training to become social workers.

Resolved:- That the contents of the report be noted.