Following an inquiry which revealed the human and financial cost of poor and unsafe discharges from health services, "consumer champion" Healthwatch has called for a more integrated discharge system.
Following an inquiry which revealed the human and financial cost of poor and unsafe discharges from health services, "consumer champion" Healthwatch has called for a more integrated discharge system.
There were more than one million emergency readmissions within 30 days of discharge in 2012/13 alone, costing an estimated £2.4 billion, Healthwatch’s report Safely home: What happens when people leave hospital and care settings? revealed.
NHS Confederation said that they will “work closely” with Healthwatch and other partners to develop this agenda.
Responding to the report, Phil McCarvill, deputy policy director of the NHS Confederation, said he welcomed the report and that “the NHS Confederation’s Commission On Improving Urgent Care For Older People is already working with partners across the health and care system to develop practical activities that help personalise care and connect services.
“Making services more joined-up is also helping to bring mental and physical care closer together, which is a priority as the NHS strives to improve its support and identification of poor mental health,” he said.
