More investment in home-based care, community and reablement services would help free up more hospital beds and improve care for the elderly, county council leaders say.
A new study from the County Councils Network (CCN) and Newton has set out recommendations that could improve the lives of over 65s and reduce NHS and local government costs by over £2.5bn.
The report says that instead of buying up short-term residential care beds to discharge over 65s from hospital, the Government should invest more in home-based reablement and rehabilitation services at the local level.
Better community support could lead to an estimated 175,000 fewer older people each year being admitted to hospital, according to CCN and Newton.
This represents one in 10 admissions and could free up thousands of beds and reduce costs by £600m a year.
Around six million bed days could also be saved by reducing delayed discharges, including 500,000 from ‘simple’ discharges, and over 80,000 elderly people could live more independent lives each year.
Cllr Martin Tett, health and social care spokesperson for CCN, said: ‘We are facing into one of the most challenging winters ever for the health and social care system, with immense pressures that have built up over the last few years showing no signs of abating.
‘Every bed in each hospital will be vital as acute and emergency admissions rise over the coming months, and we need to ensure we maximise the most effective use of social care services to speed up discharges and improve outcomes.’
