What’s the answer to ‘bed blocking’?

[Cuppasoupmonster]

Another day, another article about ‘bed blockers’ (put in speech marks because I know it’s a bit of a goady term).

I was shocked to find out a third of beds are taken up by ‘social patients’ in some trusts, who are medically fine to be discharged but can’t be because the care they need afterwards isn’t in place. I feel irate that the whole point of lockdowns to ‘stop the NHS from being overwhelmed’ needn’t have happened if it wasn’t overwhelmed in this way to start with.

Whats the answer? Early intervention so they don’t end up in hospital in the first place? A rise in taxes to pay for more services? I’m not sure the working population can afford to pay more tax.

The ‘ageing population’ issue means this can surely only get worse?

It's very sad( i work in hospital) and i'm sure it will get worse.

The problem is lack of social care places. My elderly mum broke her hip this year. She was fit to be discharged from hospital after 2 weeks but stayed for nearly 6 because they didn't have anywhere to discharge her to.

She was living with dementia before that and the fall brought her living arrangements to a crisis point where it was clear that she couldn't live independently any more.

They couldn't find a single place within a 20 miles radius for her for 4 weeks.

Yes but how? I know the ‘obvious’ solutions, but how would the money be found for these, alongside everything else the country needs? I don’t want to pay any more tax. I’m sure a lot of other posters don’t either. My spending hasn’t changed, this is the first time in years I’ve gone into my overdraft.

The we old fashioned way of convalescent homes.

Difficult to staff, because everywhere is struggling, but that is the only way, remove those who need a very small amount of assistance. Free up bed for those is real need. Where I live there used to be 4 or 5 - one really big one. All gone, most now flats.

But they can’t live in a convalescent home can they? They would leave just to end up back in hospital again.

Well we currently don’t pay that much in tax, so taxes would need to rise.

This is happening across the board and its a massive issue. I work in the care sector and a lot of children leaving children's homes are unable to access appropriate supported accommodation particularly those with complex needs and are being housed inappropriately instead just to put a roof over their heads. It's really at crisis point and to me it shouldn't fall solely to the general public to fix it. This has occurred because of austerity from a tory gov consistently underfunding core social care provision and then acting surprised when the already reduced and underfunded provision couldn't cope with a crisis like covid. We need much more money poured into vital charities and statutory services to promote physical space and equipment, staffing and training. I personally would be willing to pay more on taxes if I knew that's where my money would go to but I don't trust the tories to put it there. Getting back to early intervention is also crucial in all areas, so many staff were seconded, dealing with increased demand and basically firefighting for such a long period that early intervention work has taken a huge backseat and high priority cases simply had to come to the fore. But again this is a funding and staffing issue. Without appropriate resourcing in the housing sector, the social care sector, the health sector it's not going to get any better.

Well we currently don’t pay that much in tax, so taxes would need to rise.

I pay enough income tax thankd

Would the re opening of convalescent hospitals be an idea?
In days before, they were common place, closing those over the years has instantly made a problem

cross post with @inthemiddlepiggyinthemiddle

Having a functioning social are system that is funded and joined up. It almost broke my Dad being stuck in hospital and more so when he considered himself a burden for being disabled.

Stopping allowing social admissions.

Stopping gps admitting pts to hospital because they are short staffed /can't cope with the work load.

Making the general public take more responsibility for their own health and social care needs

Fixing the social care crisis

addressing public perception of death and dying

Better pay and conditions for hcp.

Also many families won’t/ can’t provide care for elderly/ Ill parents these days as reliant on two income streams . Years ago there were more cases of families looking after the elderly in the family setting. Now they are left blocking beds

It is a hideous term 'bed blocking'. Imagine it referred to yourself - none of us would like it. We do need to develop the provision for social care. There are many people who cannot manage on their own in their own at home - and cannot access sufficient help to keep them in their own home. We need to ensure affordable quality provision is made for those who need it - many, not all, are our senior citizens who have contributed through their taxes for many years to our NHS.

There would be an outcry if we denied maternity care to our younger citizens - there should be an outcry that we are denying appropriate care to our older citizens or those in need of critical care.

Yes but how? How do you ‘address the public perception of dying’ without causing major offence and insinuating the sick and elderly should basically be euthanised?

addressing public perception of death and dying

what does this mean?

The amount of medication given to elderly patients to prop them up is mind boggling. It’s like a minefield trying to work out what is illness and side effect. With my elderly parents it’s one thing after another a good deal of which are being caused by meds. GPS don’t consider the wider picture anymore it’s just one sticking plaster on top of another kicking the can down the road.

It means normalising dying at home or in a hospice again.

A good first step would be funding councils so they could pay the actual cost of care. At present self-funders end up subsidising Council-paid places in care homes. It would then mean care staff could be paid a reasonable wage, meaning it would be possible to fill the thousands of vacant posts.

Plenty of places in care homes exist, but because they can't get enough staff to care for people they are having to leave beds empty.

@StoneofDestiny

People want to be kept alive at all cost.

They want every effort made even when there is no quality of life or even chance of survival.

They think the nhs should fix every problem. Right now. For free