Virus forces changes to way hospital patients discharged
To make sure they can look after people with acute needs, hospitals are changing the way patients no longer needing a bed are discharged.
What's changing
Usually the NHS offers a choice on where patients go when they leave. But because of the coronavirus pressures, there is now no choice.
Patients will not be able to stay in hospital if you choose not to accept the care that is offered.
Where will patients go?
The priority is a safe and appropriate place.
In most cases, patients will be sent to their homes. Some extra support, for example with care or shopping, may be needed.
If patients need more complex out of hospital care, this could be in another bed in the community, for example a residential nursing home.
It is possible that these patients may be moved more than once after discharge to find the best place for their long term care.
Making plans
Patient needs, transport and discharge arrangements will be discussed with patients, family members and carers. If further care and support are needed when patients get home, this will be arranged.
Any care provided will be free of charge for a period of time to support the patient’s recovery. After this time, they may be required to contribute to the cost of care.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the NHS, community and social care settings are working together to keep enough acute beds available and make sure patients going home have the right care.
"We are working very closely across the NHS, community and social care settings to ensure we create and maintain acute bed capacity through faster rates of appropriate discharge from NHS beds for the foreseeable future.
Working together we will ensure that we take account of our local workforce and care home/domiciliary care capacity. Together with awareness of the capacity of family carers and volunteers in the community to continue to support local people. Supporting and sustaining social care will be crucial to these efforts."
Read more on the CCG's website
Share your experiences
How have the changes to services due to the coronavirus pandemic affected you?
We can share what you tell us with the people who are planning the local and national response to coronavirus.
This will help them protect people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Call 0330 355 1285
Text 0752 0635 176
