I very much welcome new ways to utilise the record health investment from Government going into our NHS to best support patients.
Sussex has been named one of six ‘Discharge Frontrunners’ to lead the way in exploring new long-term initiatives to free up hospital beds.
The Sussex Health & Care Integrated Care System (ICS) will trial a new data tool which will assist health services in managing performance, give operational oversight and manage demand.
With the Government and the Sussex Health & Care ICS working together, patients in Sussex will benefit from this initiative which trials innovative long-term solutions to free up hospital beds and make sure patients get the right care at the right time.
We know how important it is for people to be able to leave hospital as soon as possible. This is not just, of course, to make space for those who need urgent care, but it is best for patients as well.
I am grateful for the dedicated work of health and care staff in Crawley and throughout Sussex over the busy Christmas and New Year period.
Timely hospital discharge is a vital part of patient care. Ensuring people can be seen more quickly in our NHS is a key priority and one I continue to pursue with the Health & Social Care Secretary.
A total of up to £14.1 billion of additional funding will be invested by Government over the next two years to improve urgent and emergency care and to tackle the backlog: the highest spend on health and care in any government’s history. Some £7.5 billion of this support is for adult social care and discharge over the next two years, which will also help address immediate pressures.
Sussex and the five other areas in the Discharge Frontrunner programme are going to receive tailored and specialist backing. This will include in areas such as demand and capacity planning and service design, in addition to the ability to learn best practice from others.
As part of measures nationally to safely discharge thousands of patients from hospital and into community care, we are seeing further action to help relieve pressure on hospitals and staff. Government is investing £200 million to buy short-term care placements for those who are in hospital beds but who can be safely discharged.
Delivery of the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund is also continuing. This gives hospitals additional funding to move patients from hospitals and into social care. This funding can be used by NHS trusts how they best see fit to free up more hospital beds, reduce bed days lost and help to cut Covid backlogs.
Henry Smith MP
