Health

New 50-day challenge to improve hospital discharge and community care

Published

3 months ago

November 4, 2024

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has this week (Nov 11) launched a 50-day challenge to help more people safely return home from hospital and to ease winter pressures on our health and care system.

Health boards and local authorities will work together to use a 10-point action plan to support more people who have experienced long delays in hospital, to return home.

The challenge is designed to ensure the NHS and local councils work together to share and learn from best practice to improve our system performance and ensure we have the right support available to help people stay well or recover at home, or in the community.

***Under strain: Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest (Photo: File)***

All health boards and local authorities have accepted the 50-day Integrated Care Winter Challenge set by Ministers, which will run to the end of the year.

The challenge will also specifically target the people who have been waiting the longest to leave hospital.

The NHS in Wales – like the NHS in other parts of the UK – is experiencing persistently high levels of pathways of care delays (delayed discharges) which negatively impact on people’s long-term health and the “flow” through the wider health and care system.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles said: “It’s essential we support our health and care services over the winter so they can continue looking after the sickest and most vulnerable people.

“There is no place like home for people to recover from an illness or injury once they are ready to leave hospital. Equally there are a wide range of support services available in our communities that can help prevent people needing to go to hospital in the first place, helping them to stay well at home.

“The 50-Day Integrated Care Winter Challenge and the 10-point action plan will strengthen our health and social care system so that we can help more people to stay well at home and get more people home from hospital when they are ready to leave.

“I’m really pleased the NHS and local authorities have constructively embraced this challenge and have prepared to take immediate collective action to respond.”

Minister for Children and Social Care Dawn Bowden added: “Community-based care can improve outcomes, especially for older people and those with complex needs. We know people recover better at home than in a hospital, where unnecessary stays can affect their physical and mental wellbeing.

“There are many good examples where health and social care teams are working closely together to ensure people can be supported to stay well at home or move smoothly from hospital into the community where the right support is available to them.

“This 50-day challenge is about promoting best practice and making sure it is available and consistently applied across Wales.”

The 10-point action plan of best practice interventions includes steps to remove the blockages in the health and care system so people can be discharged home promptly.

This includes improving hospital discharge procedures; planning for discharge from the point of admission; ensuring there is proportionate and effective seven-day working to enable weekend discharges; undertaking more assessments in the community and providing community rehabilitation and reablement to help people recover fully.

Community health and social care services have a pivotal role to play in supporting people to remain well in the community. They assess what help people need, including access to rehabilitation, home adaptations or personal care in the community.

The 50-Day challenge is a key element of the Welsh Government’s winter resilience plans. The £146m Regional Integration Fund, the £11.95m Further Faster funds, and the £5m allied health professional funding are helping to build community capacity in the system.

The Health Secretary and the Minister recently met teams at the Integrated Discharge Service in the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, to learn more about their approach to getting people home safely and to discuss best practice.

Diane Walker, Head of Integrated Discharge Service at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “We know it’s better for patients to leave hospital as soon as they’re ready to do so. When a patient spends longer than necessary in hospital, they are at a higher risk of losing their independence and deteriorating further.

“Recently, an elderly frail male was admitted to hospital due to an acute illness and increased needs. Following hospital-based assessments, it was agreed that his care would need to be provided by a care home.

“The process to find a suitable care home involved adult social care providing details about the patient to homes and waiting for a response. However, it proved difficult to find a home that could meet his needs. This resulted in his hospital discharge being delayed and an increased risk of deconditioning, catching a hospital acquired infection and risk of a fall. To prevent this, health and social care teams worked together to provide details about the patient, and a care home place was secured.

“As a result of this successful joint approach, it was agreed that all ‘pen picture’ details about patients will be completed by health and social care teams in the future.”

Health

Hywel Dda Health Board announces Community Vaccination Centres

Published

2 days ago

January 28, 2025

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL Dda University Health Board is organizing pop-up community vaccine centres to make it easier for eligible individuals to access their flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

To check your eligibility for the flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine:

Visit: phw.nhs.wales
Contact the health board: 0300 303 8322 (Option 1)
Email: [email protected]

If you are eligible, you can either drop in at one of the centres listed below or book an appointment using the details above.

New clinics are being arranged for February. Stay updated by visiting the health board’s webpage:
Seasonal Flu Vaccinations

Vaccination Centres and Schedules

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthen Athletic RFC
Athletic Park, Johnstown, Carmarthen, SA31 3QY

Monday, January 27: 9:30am–4:45pm
Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, January 29: 9:30am–4:45pm
Thursday, January 30: 9:30am–4:45pm

Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall
17 Crescent Road, Llandeilo, SA19 6HW

Friday, January 31: 10:00am–4:45pm

Pontyberem Memorial Hall
Coalbrook Road, Pontyberem, Llanelli, SA15 5HU

Tuesday, February 4: 9:30am–4:30pm

Llandovery RFC
Church Bank Playing Fields, Llandovery, SA20 0BA

Thursday, February 6: 10:00am–4:30pm
Friday, February 7: 10:00am–4:30pm

Ceredigion

Tregaron Memorial Hall
The Square, Tregaron, SY25 6JL

Monday, January 27: 10:00am–4:30pm

New Quay Memorial Hall
Ffordd Towyn Road, New Quay, SA45 9QQ

Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, January 29: 9:30am–4:45pm

The Pwerdy-Powerhouse Community Arts Centre
Chapel Street, Pont Tyweli, Llandysul, SA44 4AH

Tuesday, February 4: 10:00am–4:45pm
Wednesday, February 5: 10:00am–4:45pm

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire Archives
Prendergast, Haverfordwest, SA61 2PE

Tuesday, January 28: 9:30am–4:50pm

Regency Hall
King George V Playing Fields, Milford Street, Saundersfoot, SA69 9NG

Friday, January 31: 9:30am–4:45pm

Neyland MVC
Unit 1, Honeyborough Retail Park, SA73 1SE

Monday, February 3: 9:30am–4:45pm
Wednesday, February 5: 9:30am–4:45pm

Llwyngwair Manor
Newport, Pembrokeshire, SA42 0LX

Thursday, February 6: 10:00am–4:30pm

Bloomfield House
Redstone Road, Narberth, SA67 7ES

Friday, February 7: 10:00am–4:45pm

Health

RCN demands urgent action and transparency on corridor care in Wales

Published

2 days ago

January 28, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE RCN today issued a strong call to action to the Welsh government, urging them to take decisive steps to eradicate corridor care – a practice that is unsafe, undignified, and unsustainable. The most vulnerable in society, including many older people, bear the brunt of corridor care –where patients are treated in hallways and other inappropriate settings due to bed shortages.

Corridor care compromises patient safety and dignity by delaying timely treatment, reducing privacy, and increasing anxiety and stress. For the nursing workforce, it worsens workloads, contributes to burnout, and undermines their ability to provide quality care.

In open letters to the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, key watchdogs and advocates, the RCN has called for action on eight steps to end corridor care in Wales. The RCN’s eight recommendations include protecting patient safety and supporting the nursing profession by declaring care in chairs for over 24 hours a “never event” and fostering a culture where nursing staff can raise safety concerns without fear. Key steps include increase weekend staffing that can enable timely discharges, restoring District Nurse numbers to 2010 levels, and investing in social care to ensure patients can transition from hospitals to appropriate care settings promptly.

Additionally, the Government must pause hospital bed reductions and review capacity to ensure adequate care in both community and hospital settings. Investing in the nursing workforce and fully implementing the Six Goals for Urgent and Emergency Care programme is critical. NHS Wales must be empowered to divert patients to neighbouring services when necessary, easing pressure on overstretched facilities and improving outcomes.

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said: “Nurses are facing immense challenges in maintaining high standards of patient care amidst the growing prevalence of corridor and chair care in hospitals. The RCN’s recent report starkly highlights the stories of nurses who are striving to provide quality care in these difficult conditions. Despite the lack of proper facilities and the strain of overcrowded hospitals, nurses continue to demonstrate remarkable dedication and resilience. They often work long hours under intense pressure, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care even when resources are stretched thin.”

“Our recommendations provide a clear and achievable roadmap to ensure patients receive care in the right place, at the right time, and by the right professional. The nursing workforce is ready to lead the way – but we need the Welsh government to act now.”

The RCN is calling on the Welsh Government to engage all health care stakeholders, listen to the expertise of the nursing workforce, and prioritise patient safety above all else. The time to end corridor care is now.

Health

Leading pharmacies demand tougher regulation on online sale of weight-loss jabs

Published

3 days ago

January 27, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PHARMACIES are calling for stricter regulation of online sales of weight-loss injections, warning of risks to patient safety amid predictions of a surge in demand this year.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), representing independent community pharmacies, has urged the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to require more thorough consultations with patients before dispensing weight-loss injections and other high-risk medications online.

The NPA cautioned that existing regulations allow medicines to be supplied without adequate consultation or access to patient records, leaving patients vulnerable. They called for a mandatory two-way consultation process to ensure prescribers have a full understanding of patients’ medical histories before issuing such treatments.

Greater safeguards needed

Responding to draft GPhC guidelines, the NPA criticised the proposed safeguards, stating they “still leave the door open for medicines to be prescribed and supplied without appropriate two-way patient consultation or access to a full clinical picture, particularly with high-risk medicines.”

The association recommended prescribers engage in direct dialogue with patients—either in person or via telephone—before offering weight-loss medications such as Mounjaro injections. The NPA also stressed the importance of obtaining comprehensive medical histories, rather than relying solely on online questionnaires.

Nick Kaye, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said:
“Obesity is one of the biggest challenges facing our country, and pharmacies want to play their part in helping patients achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“Weight-loss injections can be effective when prescribed as part of a carefully managed programme, but the current regulations allow some patients to access these medications inappropriately, without proper consultation or examination of medical records.”

Addressing rising demand

The call for tighter regulations comes as demand for weight-loss treatments is expected to rise, with the government planning to expand the rollout of such medications. Many pharmacies already dispense weight-loss treatments or include them in private weight-loss programmes, emphasising a need for best practices to prioritise patient safety.

The NPA highlighted cases of patients who had been inappropriately prescribed weight-loss injections, including individuals with eating disorders or those with body mass indexes (BMI) outside the licensed range. Such cases increase the risk of severe adverse effects.

Kaye added:
“Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale; they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal. We urge the GPhC to make a full consultation compulsory for high-risk medicines and ensure supply is prioritised for those with the greatest clinical need, including those with type 2 diabetes.”

Warning against unregulated sellers

The NPA and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have also warned against purchasing weight-loss injections from unregulated sources, such as beauty salons or social media platforms. Counterfeit medications from these suppliers pose significant health risks.

The NPA advised patients to consult a pharmacist if they are unsure about weight-loss treatments, ensuring they receive safe and effective care as part of a programme to achieve sustainable lifestyle changes.