Commenting on the NHS Performance Statistics for November, Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Independent Age, the older people’s charity, said:
“On the face of it, it is good news that fewer people are being stuck in hospital waiting for a care package to be put in place before they can go home. However, the increases in A&E attendance, emergency admissions and NHS 111 calls are a stark reminder of how important it is to make sure people are only discharged from hospital when they have the right support and care in place, so they don’t find themselves back in hospital days or weeks later. With so many people being discharged into a care home, it’s also essential that there are places in high-quality care homes available, so people don’t find themselves simply moved from a hospital bed, to a bed in a care home rated inadequate by CQC and then back into the over-stretched NHS.”