Apologies: Published this last year, but never assigned it a valid category (News or Blog)! Still interesting reading though, especially in light of current ‘crisis’ within the NHS, and repeated debates re ‘bed-blocking’ and the interface between health and care services…
The pages of the website of NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) describing its Pathways and Guidance are perhaps not often visited by the casual reader.
But there is now some significant content there, especially since NICE’s remit now comprises Care as well as Health.
So we bring the recently published guidance NG27… ‘Transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs’ to your attention.
“This guideline covers the transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care homes for adults with social care needs. It aims to improve people’s experience of admission to, and discharge from, hospital by better coordination of health and social care services.”
If you are involved as a carer or relative with the admission to, or discharge from hospital, of someone with a learning disability, then please look at this guidance. After all, the guideline is “for health and social care practitioners; health and social care providers; commissioners; service users and their carers (including people who purchase their own care)”.
Note NICE’s recommendations for research based on this guidance. These include the investigation of the question “What is the effect of hospital discharge or transitions training for health and social care practitioners on achieving successful transfers from hospital to home or the community, including the effects on formal and informal carers, and on avoidable re-admissions?”
We should at least be thankful for that notice has been taken of the possible/probable “effects on formal and informal carers” .
The guidance makes frequent reference to ‘person-centred care’, and is clearly supports the currently pervasive ‘aspiration’ to integrate health and social care.
