Bid to free up hospital beds with help for patients to recover at home

A new bid to help free up hospital beds by supporting more people to recover at home has been launched in Sunderland.

- by Gareth Crickmer

Guiding You Home is targeting all patients being discharged-but is primarily aimed at those aged 65 and over, who usually have had a longer hospital stay.

Health bosses predict hundreds more people in the cityand in South Tyneside-could avoid costly and time-consuming aftercare nursing.

They launched a trial in July and expect it to become a standard format for out-of-hospital care and short-term support by next spring.

It will focus on helping patients get discharged faster, or stay out of hospital altogether, with more help provided at home.

In total, they hope to accomplish a 40% increase in the number of people who can be supported to live independently after medical treatment.