Council reaffirms commitment to supporting people directly home after a hospital admission
Oxfordshire County Council will continue to prioritise a programme which supports people to return home quickly and safely after a hospital stay.
At a meeting of Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet on Tuesday 17 December, councillors noted the improved experiences of patients since the roll-out of the health and social care system’s Discharge to Assess programme, by reducing hospital discharge delays and increasing chances of regaining independence once people are back home.
Discussions were also held around how these improvements have led to a reduction in need for short stay hub beds, which were previously used as a stop gap for patients between staying in hospital and going home, with a commitment to remodelling the service to support residents with the most complex needs.
Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Our Oxfordshire Way vision shows the importance we place on supporting people to live well and independently, within their own communities for as long as possible.
“This is particularly important after a hospital stay as people’s chances of regaining their independence are much higher if they return home more quickly.
“Our joint-system Discharge to Assess programme is reducing hospital stays and we are seeing 73 per cent of people regaining the levels of independence they had before being admitted.”
The policy was discussed after a motion passed at November’s full council, asking cabinet to fully consider the reasoning behind the reduction of short stay hub beds in Oxfordshire, specifically in Henley, where seven beds in a care home were repurposed for alternative use in December last year.
The motion also asked cabinet to clarify if there was any need for an official consultation to take place prior to the decision being made.
Cabinet heard that the decision to reduce short stay hub beds followed national guidance to support people home from hospital safely and quickly, but members acknowledged that while formal consultation was not required, better engagement should have taken place with Henley stakeholders and residents ahead of the decision.
They noted the work that council and NHS leaders have since undertaken to better communicate the decision this year.
Comments were also considered from the Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth MP, who in response to a letter from Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo, said: “local joint commissioners, the NHS Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board and Oxfordshire County Council are best placed to determine the needs of their local population,” and that the decision to repurpose the beds did not meet the threshold for further intervention.
Councillor Bearder continued: "Following a written question from the Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo, it is good that we have some clarity from the Minister of State for Health, Karin Symth.
“We were grateful for the opportunity to fully and publicly discuss our approach to supporting people to return home from hospital quickly and safely through Discharge to Assess and offer reassurance that the partnership programme is producing good outcomes for residents.
“While it is understandable that people would like to retain access to as many local services as possible, our need for short stay hub beds is reducing and as contracts begin to expire, we need to make sure we make the best use of the Oxfordshire pound to support residents, where possible, in the comfort of their own homes.
“This inevitably means fewer short stay hub beds are required, but for those people who ultimately need the facility, they will continue to be available in Oxfordshire.”
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