‘No way around it’: Demand for care following a hospital stay means ‘significant number’ are being put up outside Hackney

Homerton Hospital. Photograph: courtesy the Homerton

A “significant number” of patients are being discharged from hospital to residential care outside Hackney because of the demand for support.

Hackney was allocated £1.9m government money, with £1.1m of that for adult social care, to speed up discharging patients after hospital treatment for physical or mental health conditions this winter.

The council’s head of adult health and integration Helen Woodland said there are currently around 400 people in residential care out of borough.

She told the Health in Hackney scrutiny commission yesterday: “If they have nursing need, there really is no way round that.”

She estimated that a half to two thirds of them could be accommodated in Hackney if there were alternatives.

The council is looking at ways to cope with the demand.

Woodland stressed that the council aims to support people back into the community “wherever possible in their own homes”.

She said often family members are the people pressing for their loved ones to go into nursing care.

The scrutiny commission heard an update about some of the schemes Hackney is spending the government’s winter funding on. Overall, it is estimated to be helping 499 patients.

The money was part of a national £500m package unveiled in November to help with winter pressures and has to be spent by the end of March.

A further £200m was announced in January to buy extra social care beds.

Hackney is using the money for a range of support, including a pilot reablement project to help people get back on their feet at home, and increasing the hours for the Move On team, which should free up 102 bed days in hospital.

Some £346,000 has been allocated for care packages for people in the first month after they leave hospital and another £253,000 for support after the first four weeks.

The council also uses 15 flats to care for people coming out of hospital.

This includes people who have problems with infestations or hoarding and £96,000 has been earmarked for hygiene teams.

It could save 420 bed days in hospital.

Woodland said it might not be suitable for people who are suffering from neglect or hoarding to be discharged straight home from hospital.