A partnership between the James Paget and the British Red Cross is leading the way in facilitating prompt patient discharge.
Hospitals across the country are working with their local British Red Cross teams, which operate a ‘winter pressures’ service to help patients not only get home, but also provide them with support to get settled back into a safe and fulfilling routine.
This partnership has helped more than 370 patients from the James Paget get home sooner than they would otherwise since the start of February 2022 - a figure which is second to only one other Trust nationwide.
At our hospital, British Red Cross personnel are based in our Discharge Lounge, so they can work closely the hospital’s team.
Service Co-ordinator Lydia Kemp has two Assisted Discharge Support Workers working on the lounge - and a team of volunteers out in the community.
They co-ordinate a range of services that help discharges happen by ‘bridging a gap’ for those patients - often older - who might not need a formal care package when they get home, but still need a helping hand to get them out of hospital.
“We can help with something as simple as a lift home for a patient who doesn’t qualify for patient transport and hasn’t got a friend or relative nearby who can pick them up and doesn’t have the funds to get home under their own steam,” said Lydia. “The alternative would be an extra day in an acute bed, which is not good for either the patient or the hospital.
“But we also offer an ‘Assisted Discharge’ service as well, for patients who may need a little support to help them settle back in at home and get back into their routines.”
The Assisted Discharge service offers patients 72 hours of support from the time they leave hospital, which could include the basics such as putting the heating on and ensuring there is food in the fridge but also putting them in touch with local organisations that may be of assistance.
“The aim is to help people by making sure they feel supported, connected - and happy. When you are happy, and feel safe and secure, often recovery times are reduced, your health is less likely to deteriorate - and it reduces the chances of being readmitted to hospital,” said Lydia.
To further reduce readmissions and provide additional support to patients for whom the Assisted Discharge service may not be enough, the British Red Cross team is looking to introduce a ‘Community Wraparound’ service locally in the New Year, offering four weeks of support.
“Patients are all different. The Community Wraparound service will be for patients who need a bit more time, be it to heal from surgery or to reintegrate into life outside hospital. The service could, for example, proactively take someone to a social club and stay with them until they have made friends and regained their confidence or provide practical assistance until it is able to be incorporated into a package of care by social services,” said Lydia.
The success of the Assisted Discharge scheme locally is down to the strength of partnership between the James Paget and the British Red Cross.
“We are so lucky here. The hospital’s Discharge Lounge Team, and Discharge Co-ordinator Kay Hart, really understand the merit of our service and how it aids both the hospital and the patient and so they proactively look to identify patients who can benefit from our service,” added Lydia.
