Hospital launches social care service to reduce ‘astronomical’ delayed discharges

An acute trust is launching its own social care service to reduce the ‘astronomical’ costs of delayed discharges.

Harrogate and District Foundation Trust is among the first NHS providers to branch out into direct social care provision, in what the trust says is a “lift and shift” from the model adopted by Northumbria Healthcare FT.

HDFT is now embarking on a six-month pilot of its new social care service. It comes as around 20 of the trust’s 300 beds are occupied by patients waiting for social care packages on a given day. 

Chief operating officer Russell Nightingale told HSJ  delayed discharges are leading to patients who could have returned home with the right support deteriorating in hospital and ending up in care homes. 

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Source: HSJ, 23 November 2023