Nutritional care tool report 2017

The BAPEN nutritional care tool report provides organisational-level data on how nutritional care is organised and patient-level data on the quality of nutrition in hospitals, care homes and community organisations.

Four projects testing innovations to improve care for older people

Four projects, funded through The Health Foundation's Innovation for Improvement programme, are using new and interesting approaches to improve care for older people. Some of these projects are at the early stages of their development but have promising ways to improve care.

Care home funding gap will result in divide between rich and poor areas

A shortfall in English council funding for care homes, which leaves providers reliant on private-paying residents, is creating a “postcode lottery” in care quality, the head of representative body Care England has said.

Data released today by researchers LaingBuisson suggests the average fee per resident paid to care homes by local authorities falls short of service provision costs by more than £100 a week.

Thousands of patients could be forced into care homes due to CCG cuts

Thousands of patients could be forced into residential care as a result of clinical commissioning groups restricting funding for care at home, data shared with HSJ reveals.

Thirty-seven CCGs have set cost restrictions on NHS Continuing Healthcare funding, which pays for ongoing care for adults who are assessed as having a primary medical care need. It is arranged and funded solely by the NHS.

Oral health in care homes and hospitals

Draft NICE quality standard on oral health in care homes and hospitals.  Consultation closes on 3rd February.

How the technology used in Airedale and Partners vanguard is changing care for people in care homes

In one of the most rural parts of the National Health Service, clinicians are becoming skilled in having a “webside manner” – as we harness the full potential of telemedicine to test out and develop a new model of care for the NHS.

Airedale and Partners' innovation is built around a 24/7, 365 day per year digital hub that provides care homes with immediate video access to a clinical advice service provided by senior nursing staff, supported by clinicians drawn from a range of specialties.

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CQC publishes urgent and emergency care pilot reports for two local areas

These CQC reports on the pilots focus on UEC systems in South Warwickshire and in Airedale, Wharfedale, Craven & Bradford. In each area we looked at the contribution of the services that support people with urgent and emergency care needs, including NHS 111, A&E departments, ambulance services, GP practices, GP out of hours services and care homes – and how well they worked together for the benefit of the local population.

How blurring the lines between health and social care can benefit local communities

In 2012 Hertfordshire County Council pooled resources between local government and health through the Better Care Fund, giving us more opportunities to work together on a much bigger scale. Its aim is to deliver an enhanced model of health and social care to support frail elderly patients, and those with multiple, complex long term conditions, in the community, in a planned, proactive and preventative way.

Along with HCPA, we have delivered a programme of training to 165 ‘Champions’ in 22 care homes as part of the ‘Complex Care Premium’ which specifically targets people with increasingly complex needs in terms of dementia, falls, nutrition, wounds and general health care, including end of life care.

Our care home pharmacy team has reviewed 846 care home residents and 7,872 medicines. 12 per cent of all medicines have been stopped and direct drug cost reductions are around £133 per patient with potential savings on hospital admission costs of £292,160*.

‘Home First’, a rapid response service which supports people to remain at home has been rolled out in two of our localities and is scheduled to be introduced in the remaining four as part of the vanguard programme.  Home First brings together health and social care services to deliver:

• improved access to rapid support with care from the right professional
• better communication between people using services and health and social care professionals working as part of the same team
• reduced A&E attendance and unplanned hospital admissions or residential care
• rapid discharge from acute hospitals.

Another initiative aimed at keeping elderly people at home is our ‘early intervention vehicles’. Working with East of England Ambulance NHS Trust, we have introduced two vehicles providing immediate response, via screened 999 calls, to elderly residents in east and north Hertfordshire with the primary role of maintaining independent living in their own homes.

The framework for enhanced health in care homes

This framework is for local health and care systems, organisations, communities and patients, wishing to develop and implement new ways of working. It lays out a clear vision for providing joined up primary, community and secondary, social care to residents of care and nursing homes, via a range of in reach services. Seven key components and eighteen sub-components which define the care homes model are put forward, with practical guidance explaining how organisations and providers can make the transition and implement the whole model.

NHS England launches frameworks to increase integration of health and care services

NHS England has published details of two more common frameworks for local health and care systems, organisations, communities and patients, wishing to develop and implement new ways of working.

The first of the frameworks, the primary and acute care system (PACS) can be defined as a population-based accountable care model, with general practice at its core. It is organised around patients’ needs and aims to improve the physical, mental and social health and wellbeing of its local population.

The second of the frameworks is the enhanced health care homes model.  It lays out a clear vision for providing joined up primary, community and secondary, social care to residents of care and nursing homes, via a range of in reach services.