The UK Government is set to publish an urgent and emergency care plan on Monday, as the Health Secretary admitted that there was “no quick fix” to the serious pressures facing the NHS. It comes as the Department of Health announced plans for tens of thousands of elderly and vulnerable people to receive tailored support at home each month, as part of a strategy to shift some NHS care out of hard-pressed hospitals.
Officials said that the plan would standardise and scale up current services to treat falls and frailty, with more services in place for next winter. The Government said that the plan builds on the virtual wards already in place in the NHS, which see patients treated from home while monitored by medics either through daily visits or through video calls.
About 3,000 virtual beds are due to be created before next winter, with the plan set to suggest that about 50,000 people a month could be cared for from home under ministers’ ambitions. The plan comes amid multiple reports that hospitals are struggling to cope amid severe pressures on staff, with walk-outs by nurses set to continue as a dispute over pay and conditions continues.
