OTnews February 2023 | Page 6

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Former Cabinet Minister supports the use of ‘ tech and data ’ to ease delayed discharge
Technology ‘ can help medically fit patients leave hospital sooner ’. This was the message given to former minister Dame Andrea Leadsom , who recently met with a Northamptonshire-based care tech company to see how it is helping people remain independent and active , both in and outside of the home .
‘ It was exciting to visit Oysta and see the work they are doing to address critical issues in health and social care and the technology they are using to help speed up patient discharge from hospital ,’ said Dame Leadsom .
‘ The government is working to address delays in delayed discharges and the use of technology and data is one way which can help medically fit patients leave hospital sooner and return to their own homes .’
Above : Dame Andrea Leadsom , MP for South Northamptonshire , meets with care tech providers Oysta to find out how technology is helping to speed up discharge from hospital
New rehabilitation standards aim to encourage services to operate more consistently
RCOT has contributed to the development of new Community Rehabilitation Best Practice Standards , alongside other members of the Community Rehabilitation Alliance ( CRA ).
These multi-condition , multi-professional community rehabilitation best practice standards provide a base from which community rehabilitation services can deliver high-quality evidence-based rehabilitation to patients and populations .
They seek to decrease both local and national variation currently occurring in community rehabilitation .
The standards apply to adult community rehabilitation services and aim to improve individual and population-based health and wellbeing , with the main aims being to :
• Lead to clearer pathways for people with an impairment or disability ; produce clear guidance on supported self-management and goal setting .
• Drive cost-savings by facilitating early supported discharge from hospitals and preventing avoidable re-admission .
• Ensure care delivery within people ’ s own homes and communities wherever possible .
RCOT Professional Adviser Lauren Walker said : ‘ We ’ ve been collaborating with fellow members of
CRA on a range of projects and are really pleased to have contributed to the development of these new standards .
‘ The aim of CRA is to improve the way that rehabilitation is funded and delivered in England , and we link in with coalitions and campaigns that are working to achieve similar aims in all UK nations .
‘ We know that access to rehabilitation can vary widely depending on where a person lives and what their specific needs are . This is unfair , inequitable and widens health inequalities .
‘ We hope that the new rehabilitation standards will help to address this by encouraging different services to operate in a more consistent way . They ’ re designed to be of use to everyone involved in community rehabilitation – from the public to practitioners and commissioners .
‘ We encourage all OTs working in rehabilitation to take a look , share with colleagues , and apply the standards to their practice .’
At the heart of these standards are seven recommendations , each of which sets out what is expected of those working towards the delivery of rehabilitation services . The standards and a range of tools are available on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists website , along with background info on how the standards were developed and the purpose of CRA .
Visit https :// bit . ly / 3ZXdYWB .
6 OTnews February 2023