The 50-day winter challenge to help more people return home from
hospital is showing promising results, Health Secretary has said.
The challenge was designed to ensure the NHS and local councils
worked together to share and learn from the best practice to
ensure the right support is available to help people stay well,
or to recover at home or in their local community.
Health boards and local authorities used a 10-point action plan
to reduce the overall numbers of people who experience discharge
delays and to reduce the number of days people were delayed
overall.
It targeted the 25% of people with the longest hospital discharge
delays and ensured appropriate plans were in place to support
their discharge.
The Welsh Government has provided £19m to support the challenge
and ensure the learning continues beyond its end.
It is supporting increased reablement and domiciliary care
services, helping more people stay well at home.
The latest figures show December was the fourth successive month
where the number of hospital discharge delays fell, establishing
a downward trend since April 2024 and highlighting the positive
impact of the 50-Day challenge. There has been a 14% improvement
in delays since March 2024.
The focus on supporting people with the longest discharge delays
identified 395 people. More than half – 225 people – were
discharged by the end of December. Of the remaining 170 people,
80.5% have agreed discharge plans to either go home or to a care
facility.
Some of the biggest reductions have been achieved in waits for
joint assessments and in starts for reablement care packages.
Health Secretary and Minister for Children and
Social Care have met Rachel Ponting in
Mountain Ash. Rachel had a major stroke when she was 48 and was
supported by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's reablement team at home,
after spending four months in hospital.
Reablement is a personalised programme which helps people rebuild
their strength and abilities. It is part of the 10-point action
plan to support more people to recover after hospital or reduce
the need for hospital admission.
Rachel has worked extremely hard with staff leading the
programme. As a result, her package of care has been reduced from
four calls a day to two and she enjoys a greater degree of
independence and mobility within the home. This is unlikely to
have happened without the reablement service.
Health Secretary said: "The initial results
are positive, but there is a lot more to do to reduce delayed
discharges in hospital and help people stay well at home.
“Health boards and social care partners now need to keep working
together to implement the 10 key policies and actions that we
know make the biggest difference, in the longer term.
“It was good to meet Rachel and to talk about the support she had
from the reablement team after a major stroke. Her story is a
testament to the huge effect reablement teams can have on
people's lives.”
Minister for Children and Social Care said: “Reablement can help
keep people well in their local community and prevent the need
for admission to hospital. It is an important aspect of a more
efficient and sustainable health and social care system.
“It is clear the work of the reablement team at Rhondda Cynon Taf
Council has had a major impact on Rachel's life and I thank them,
and all who work in similar teams across Wales, for all they
continue to do.”
Rachel Ponting said: “The support I've had from the reablement
team has been fantastic. They've given me confidence and built my
abilities again.
“I've learned how to stand on my own again, to walk, to cook. I
am very grateful for all the help I've had.”
Notes to editors
The Welsh Government has recently launched a web page - Home First - to help people
maintain their independence as much as possible as they recover
from illness or injury at home, after a hospital stay.
