Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland have welcomed the news that Swindon is set to benefit from part of a £200million national hospital discharge fund to free up hospital beds and reduce pressure on the NHS.
The announcement was made last week by Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay MP, and it has since been confirmed Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board will receive more than £3million from the fund.
The additional financial support has been provided to ensure medically fit patients will be discharged from hospitals into community care settings, such as care homes, over the coming weeks to free up hospital beds and reduce pressure on the NHS.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said in parliament last week: “I am taking urgent action to reduce pressure on the health service, including investing an additional £200 million to enable the NHS to immediately buy up beds in the community to safely discharge thousands of patients from hospital and free up hospital capacity, on top of the £500 million we’ve already invested to tackle this issue.”
In addition to this, the Government has also announced an additional £50 million in capital funding to expand hospital discharge lounges and ambulance hubs. Ambulance queues in some areas are made worse due to a lack of physical space – the new money will create new ambulance hubs where vehicles can manoeuvre more easily to avoid delays handing over patients. The funding boost will also expand discharge lounges in NHS trusts – areas where patients can be moved out of acute beds while they wait to be discharged, freeing up beds in the meantime.
Justin Tomlinson MP and Robert Buckland MP said: “The last couple of years have been incredibly challenging for the NHS, and the increased number of Covid and flu cases we are seeing currently are adding to the pressure.
“The extra funding will provide much needed support to tackle delayed discharges, reduce hospital bed occupancy and ease stress on emergency departments – and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.”
