Older people who leave hospital without enough support at home are more than twice as likely to be readmitted within three months, research has found.
The Royal Voluntary Service used its report to launch a new campaign, Let’s End Going Home Alone, to highlight how unnecessary distress and costs can be avoided.
The NHS could save £40.4m a year in England alone if volunteers were on hand to provide support and help prevent hospital readmissions, said The King’s Fund, which worked on the study.
It is estimated around 200,000 people aged over-75 have left hospital in the last five years without sufficient support.
‘The population is living longer, an achievement which should be celebrated – yet it is presenting a challenge for the very organisation that has helped people live longer lives,’ said David McCullough, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service.
‘With local authority and hospital trusts facing budget cuts, we believe greater volunteer support through Home from Hospital schemes can improve the quality of older people’s lives long after a hospital stay and save the NHS millions of pounds.
‘Placing a caring volunteer at the centre of an older person’s recovery plan dramatically improves their experience, their confidence and their wellbeing, and helps them continue to live independent fulfilling lives. It also drives important efficiencies in hospitals enabling swift, well-managed discharge from wards. A strong warning sign identified in the report is the link between early discharge and readmission.’