New ‘bed blocking’ tactics paying off for hospitals like Harrogate says leading councillor

Teams of ‘ward walkers’ are spearheading efforts to get more patients discharged quickly from all North Yorkshire hospitals – and North Yorkshire Council says the statistics show the tactics are working well.

North Yorkshire Council staff, officially called transfer of care co-ordinators, work alongside NHS colleagues to identify patients who are fit for discharge but will need support as they convalesce in the community.

They are able to put arrangements in place, ranging from short care-home stays to having volunteers help to get people’s own homes ahead of their return from hospital.

Without that support, they would have to stay in hospital longer, taking up beds which could be used for new patients.

The scheme has been hailed a success by North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for health and adult services.

“There has been a lot of publicity over so-called ‘bed-blocking’ and the pressures on hospitals and adult social care recently,” said Coun Harrison.

“The reality is, in North Yorkshire we have been working to help alleviate this problem for some time by helping to get people out into the community, with the care they need.

“The success of that approach is reflected in the increased numbers of people we have helped to get discharged from hospitals."

Coun Harrison points out that, in any given week, social care is supporting between 75 and 100 people to get home from hospital – twice as many people as before the Covid pandemic.

In total, he adds, nearly 2,000 people have been assisted to get home since December.

All the main hospitals serving the county – including Harrogate District Hospital, the Friarage at Northallerton, Scarborough, Airedale, York and James Cook in Middlesborough – are involved.

The scheme was instigated before the Covid-19 pandemic but has now been stepped up further.

"This has been made possible partly due to the financial support we have had from the Government’s Discharge Fund, but also due to additional investment from the council,” said Coun Harrison.

“That is good news for patients, because most people would rather be at home or at least staying in a caring environment, than remaining in hospital.

“It is also good news for the community at large, because it means there are more hospital beds available for those who might need them.”

Having council staff linked to – and often based in – hospitals, where they can see patients immediately and make accurate assessments of their needs, is regarded as key to this progress, because it means the correct level of support can be put in place quickly and smoothly.

In North Yorkshire, decisions have been taken to provide innovative solutions with intermediate care, including support for the voluntary sector funded partly by the Government’s latest Discharge Fund.

That includes the Home from Hospital service, which helps to ensure patients’ homes are suitable for their return from hospital with essentials like fresh groceries, and community transport schemes.

In the Craven area, there are eight beds permanently available at the council-run Ashfield care home in Skipton, where people leaving Airedale Hospital, who are unable to return to their own homes immediately, can convalesce and undergo further rehabilitation.