NHS bosses in Liverpool are looking into how they can relieve the stress on social care to get people out of the city’s struggling hospitals.
As of January 6, almost 400 patients across the Royal, Aintree and Broadgreen Hospitals no longer met the criteria to reside and therefore no longer needed to be in a hospital bed, according to Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust (LUHFT) data. Of these, 45% - 180 people - were having to remain in hospital while they waited for a care home.
Now, in a bid to relieve pressure on Liverpool’s three hospitals, James Sumner, LUHFT chief executive, said it was considering bringing in staff of its own to support care homes across the city and get people out of vital beds. In a report to board members, Mr Sumner said LUHFT has one of the lowest rates in the country of discharging patients who are medically fit, with only one in 20 (5%) being able to leave when ready.
