£3.5bn NHS Push to Keep Elderly Out Of Hospital

[Londonbound]

In the paper today, yet another plan brought out by the government to improve elderly care/keep the elderly out of hospital.

There will be extra staff teams of doctors and nurses will be on hand to give extra support.

Pharmacists will visit to make sure elderly are taking the right drugs for their issues.

On hand 24/7 to provide urgent care.

A third of the hospital population should not be in Hospital and could be looked after at home but cannot access the support needed.

But where is all this going to come from, trying to access a doctor almost impossible, even trying to access a nurse, no appointments this week.
Trying to get a district nurse out, the district nurses just can’t do most services- flu jabs are not available in the home anymore, you have to go to the surgery.
trying to access simple alterations to the home, grab rails to prevent falls you have to wait months.

Elderly and disabled in my area are just left to suffer and do end up in hospital, have complex conditions diabetes 2 etc but just cannot access the treatment help and support needed.

This is exactly what my carees need but have heard it all before, when and how is this going to happen?

[bowlingbun]

More importantly, where are all the staff going to come from?? The cost will be huge.
I have a better idea, why don’t they open local low tech hospitals instead, shall we call them “Cottage Hospitals”?
Of course we used to have these locally, in my area they were in Milford, Hythe, Lyndhurst and Fordingbridge, all now closed by a government that wanted to centralise things!!!
Southampton General is a massive hi tech hospital, but it’s a difficult journey for many in the New Forest, parking is horrendous, no direct buses from New Forest towns.
With some of the highest densities of elderly in the country, the cottage hospitals were great for those who needed time to recuperate, but not the high tech available at the General. Equally important was the fact that they were in their local communities, where friends and family could visit easily.
When I was in our local hospital after surgery, as well as my own family I saw someone else from the community that I knew who would stop and have a chat with. For the elderly, keeping in touch with friends and family is a vital part of recovery.