The Scottish government is to fund hundreds of places in care homes to allow people to be discharged from hospital, and their needs met until a care package can be put in place.

The announcement by the First Minister at a televised news conference on the NHS and care crisis, comes on the day that Portland Clinical, one of the biggest companies supplying staff to the NHS in England, has announced it will provide clinical teams to work in Scottish NHS hospitals to increase surgery and treatment capacity.

The First Minister told today’s news conference:

“There are more than 1,700 people currently in hospital who don't need to be there, and whose interests are not best served by being there, because care packages that would allow them to be discharged home or to a care home or not in place.

“That obviously makes it harder to find beds for new patients who need to be admitted and this creates pressure at the front end of the patient journey.”

Ms Sturgeon said Scotland's Health Secretary will tell the Scottish parliament tomorrow of the immediate steps will be taken here, adding:

“I can confirm that we will be providing immediate extra funding to health and social care partnerships to support the booking of additional care home beds for patients to be discharged to while their care packages have been finalised. That will benefit patients, I think it's important to note that first and foremost, but it will also free up much needed capacity in hospitals.”

Asked about the extent of the “immediate additional funding” for health and social care partnerships to increase the number of care home beds, the First Minister said discussions are taking place across the country with a view to accessing as many as possible, and she promised to devote as much funding as necessary to maximise capacity.

Ms Sturgeon explained that this would not only benefit care homes across Scotland but also support hospitals by freeing up the spaces of patients discharged to care homes, lowering the pressure being experienced by the NHS.

The rapid discharge of people from hospitals to care homes in the early months of the pandemic is one of the areas of focus for a forthcoming independent enquiry into COVID-19 in Scotland.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf told the news conference steps are being taken to encourage all care home staff to be fully vaccinated:

“So we've done a number of things one is trying to make sure we take the vaccination to them, to workers in their in situ, whether that's in hospitals, community settings, or indeed in care homes. The second thing I've asked is to get do some more marketing with clinicians.

“The third thing is working directly with the legs of Scottish care, Donald Macaskill, and others to ensure that again, the message is spreading through their networks through careful providers care at home providers, to just stress the importance of the vaccine.”

The First Minister recognised the challenges facing staff across the health and social care service in Scotland:

“Well firstly, everything that happens in the Scottish government is ultimately my responsibility – I think people can criticise me and should and do.

“We have also taken decisions, we are in the process of taking another decision right now – difficult decisions to ask people to pay mor income tax so that we can devote more resources to the NHS. There are more than 20,000 additional people working in the NHS today compared to the point at which my party came to government.”

Ms Sturgeon added that Brexit has led to “very, very severe” staffing constraints across sectors, making it much harder to recruit staff into the NHS.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf acknowledged that staffing in care homes may be a challenge in the face of the £124m additional dedicated winter funding for increasing this capacity :

“On top of that [funding for additional capacity for care at home and care home placements], we’re trying to deal with what is the number one issue that I hear from social care providers up and down the country – that’s workforce, workforce, workforce.

“And that’s why we’ve increased the wage uplift for Adult Social Care Workers in the most recent budget announcement and – in the most recent budget announcement by the Deputy First Minister – a further wage increase will follow at the beginning of the next financial year.”

He added that social care is “not immune” to the pressures of Brexit, the pandemic and the cost crisis, impacting the ability admit people.

The NHS in England said today that it will spend £200m on purchasing beds in care homes to try to reduce the estimated 13,000 people in hospitals there who are medically fit for discharge.

Meanwhile, the healthcare insourcing business Portland Clinical today revealed that it has been approved by NHS National Services Scotland to provide support services to Scotland's NHS boards.

The company says it can cover more than 15 specialties from general surgery and dermatology to urology and gynaecology, with its teams typically working during quieter periods such as weekends to staff areas such as operating theatres when they wouldn't otherwise be used.

Co-Founder of Portland Clinical, Ian Yuill, said:

“Unfortunately the problems faced by the NHS in Scotland are similar to those faced throughout the UK – and it is vital support is offered to ensure no patient is left behind.

“We have a proven track record of helping trusts from all corners of England in tackling referral to treatment times and waiting lists. And we do that through our commitment to more human healthcare."

Mr Yuill said his organisation looks forward to starting work and showing Scotland “just how effective insourcing can be at combatting the mounting crises our healthcare system faces.”

 

Read more: ‘Collaboration’ focus of updated care home oversight; Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry core participants revealed; Recognising home care workers; Covid public inquiry remit published

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