Our care homes are supporting people to be timely discharged from hospital

Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is taking part in a Scottish Government pilot to reduce the number of people who are waiting to move from hospital wards to more appropriate settings.

Nobody wants to remain in hospital any longer than they need to. Any delay in discharge can have a detrimental effect on a person’s health and wellbeing.  Delays can occur for a variety of reasons but are usually due to a lack of appropriate care or services available within the community.

To support timely discharge from hospital, 30 beds for advanced care have been identified between our HSCP’s Hawthorn House and Meadowburn Care Homes for short-term care. This will promote recovery and allow rehabilitation and assessment of future care need. The pilot is going well with positive outcomes.  

Our short video shows some patient and family stories.

A patient who was in hospital following a second lower limb amputation was approached about the possibility of moving into Hawthorn House Care Home for a period of assessment within the new pilot project. This chance for an assessment placement within the North West of the city worked well for him and his family.

The patient felt immediately welcome within Snowdrop Unit of Hawthorn House.  When asked to expand on this, he said that in comparison to the hospital, it was “night and day.”  He explained to staff what mattered most to him, with the need to be as independent as possible being a priority for him.  He had been in bed while in hospital, but very quickly, with the assistance of appropriate equipment, was able to get out of bed and sit up in his wheelchair and take part in social events.

When asked about his wider expectations, while he understood this to be a pilot project, he would recommend it to anyone and that continuing to stay in hospital is not always the best place for anyone to be. He now has hope and said that you could not put a price on the value of staff who have treated him with kindness and positivity. He would recommend assessment within a social care environment over that of a clinical setting at any time.
 
Following a review, a permanent placement has been offered to him within the wider care home.

Robin Wallace, our HSCP’s Head of Residential and Day Care Services for Older People said: “Our new enhanced residential care pathway pilot makes sure that people have the right care, in the right place at the right time. Working closely with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and the Scottish Government, this pilot puts us in a great position to support individuals to maximise their independence and promote positive outcomes for all in the city.

“With our two new enhanced assessment units, Marigold in Meadowburn Care Home and Snowdrop in Hawthorn House Care Home, we can focus on supporting individuals discharged from hospital with more complex needs. Decisions for more long-term care can be made after assessment in a more homely environment than the hospital.

“Through our in-depth assessments, we can offer rehabilitation to patients to help them be as independent as possible. We work together with the patient and their family to find the best place for the person’s long-term care, whether this be nursing care, residential care or back in the community with support.”

A family member said: “Staff kept us up to date with our father's needs and made us comfortable leaving him in their care. The staff are so helpful, they take time to speak to you and find out what help you need, I can’t praise them enough.”