St Giles Hospice Quality Account 2017/2018 St Giles Hospice 2017-18 Quality Account | Page 6

Priorities for improvement 2018-19
1. We will widen access
to inpatient care for our
local community.
How was this identified as a
priority?
When we opened our new inpatient
unit in April 2011 we had 27 beds
available but only 21 were opened
as they could not be funded by
either the NHS or the hospice
charity. This was an ongoing
frustration as we knew there were
people dying in hospital or care
homes that we could offer care to if
we were funded to do so.
What are we aiming to achieve?
patients, their needs are different
and would typically be nursed in a
nursing home under the fast track
funding if beds were available. We
have designed a different model of
care to meet their particular needs.
Birmingham and Solihull CCG
can access these beds using
spot purchase. In Staffordshire
the Commissioning Support Unit
have implemented a system where
patients requiring a fast track
bed are entered onto a database
and providers with beds can say
whether they can meet their needs
or not. Commissioners then choose
which provider patients go to.
We have now been able to
negotiate access to fast track
continuing healthcare funds in
order to support the opening of
these beds for people who are
expected to be in the last few
months of life. These beds are still free for people
accessing them – they are funded
by the NHS. They will be receiving
the same high standard and quality
of care that we expect for all our
patients – it is just that their needs
are different and require less
specialist input.
The patients accessing these beds
are not specialist palliative care Subsequently our Trustees agreed
to fund a reconfiguration of part
Page 04
of the ward to enable capacity for
six beds with full en-suite facilities
and have break out areas for daily
activities.
There is also the opportunity to
socialise with other residents and
the opportunity to attend day
hospice Monday to Friday.
Over the next year we aim to
assess and enhance this service
further to increase the hospice’s
offer to people who are at the end
of life but whose needs would not
have previously enabled them to
access a specialist bed.
How will progress be monitored
and reported?
We will report to commissioners
and our Care Services Governance
Committee quarterly on
occupancy, referrals and people’s
experience of our care.
We will also take steps to better
understand the particular personal,
health and social care needs of this
group of patients.