HEALTH CARE
Healthy
at home
Ealing Council and local NHS services are working
together on new ways of helping older residents stay
healthy and access the support they need outside of
hospital, reports Deborah Dickey.
A
lthough people aged over
75 make up less than 5%
of Ealing’s population, they
account for a quarter of all
hospital stays in the borough. Studies
suggest that many of these hospital
stays could be avoided.
Ealing has good health and social
care services in the community, but a
historic lack of co-ordination and not
enough emphasis on prevention and
staying healthy means that patients
can sometimes find themselves
experiencing longer hospital stays
than is needed or wanted.
Stephen Day, director of the council’s
adult social services, said: “Many older
people stay far longer than they want
to in hospital simply because there isn’t
the right support. Hospital stays are
expensive for the NHS and most people
would rather be at home. Along with
local health services, we are working to
give older people better options so
they stay out of hospital.”
A range of nursing, therapy and
social care services will be available for
patients with urgent needs in their own
home for a short period of time. There
will be a focus on responding quickly
and getting people better so they can
carry on living in independently.
For patients with less complex needs
there will be new GP-based care
co-ordination teams with dedicated
social care expertise. Where appropriate,
patients will be given the support of
a care co-ordinator, attached to their
GP surgery, and their own care plan.
There will also be investments
made in local counselling services
for older people and improved
patient information.
Over the next year, patients, GPs and
health and social care providers will be
invited to move towards these new
ways of caring. This will be helped
by a successful council bid for
£1.9million of government funding.
Mr Day continued: “This is an
important change in focus and puts the
patient’s needs at the heart of decisionmaking. Rather than having to deal
with several different organisations and
services, care co-ordinators will make
sure patients have good health services
when and where they need them, with
the priority being on staying healthy
and independent.”
Dr Mohini Parmar, chairwoman of
the NHS Ealing Clinical Commissioning
Group, said: “Ealing has a strong
record in terms of health and social
care. By improving communication
between the different parties involved
in providing care we can minimise
confusion, and duplication, to create
a health and social care system that is
seamless and efficient.”
AT A GLANCE
■
NHS and social services will
work together
■
Over-75s to have a care
co-ordinator and care plan
where appropriate
■
Extra help to stay independent
and out of hospital
■
Investment in counselling
services.
around ealing
Spring 2015
21