Commenting on today's report from the National Audit of Intermediate Care, Dr Kevin Stewart, clinical director of the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit (CEEU) at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), says the UK needs more intermediate care services in order to provide joined up care for patients who don't need to be in hospital.
The RCP is a partner in the National Audit of Intermediate Care (NAIC) and welcomes this latest report which continues to stress the importance of intermediate care services provided for patients before or after their stay in hospital. There are increasing numbers of patients who are frail, old, often with dementia, and have long-term conditions. These patients require joined up integrated care involving all aspects from GP services, hospitals, through to community and social care. This care is delivered by a wide multidisciplinary team, including specialist care (such as mental health services) if necessary.
In order to provide this joined up care for patients it is vital that capacity for intermediate care services grows. We need to ensure these services are available to all patients who need them and to improve upon the patchy provision that characterises these services at the moment.
The message from the NAIC today echoes recommendations made by the Future Hospital Commission (FHC) in September. The FHC advocated a new organisational and management structure whose responsibilities for acutely ill medical patients will stretch out from the hospital into the wider community, developing the idea of a local healthcare system, as well as suggesting that patients should no longer be ‘discharged’ – planning for their future care needs and transfer to intermediate, community, primary, or social care, within a healthcare system, or their return home, should begin on admission to hospital.
Further information about the audit can be found at: www.nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk/National-Audit-of-Intermediate-Care.php
The full report can be downloaded from www.nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk/projects/partnership-projects/National-Audit-of-Intermediate-Care/year-two.php
For further information, please contact Hannah Bristow, Clinical Standards communications officer, on 020 3075 1447 / 07584 303 784 or email Hannah.Bristow@rcplondon.ac.uk