Fears care sector cannot cope with Shropshire demand
Health bosses in Shropshire today said there was not enough capacity within the care sector to meet demand from patients – amid claims more pressure was being put on A&E departments.
Officials at Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups said they faced "challenges" to make sure patients received the right care when they needed it.
The CCGs said the problems could lead to delays in hospital discharges and emergency department attendances.
It comes after a review by the Care Quality Commission revealed safety concerns had been raised about two-thirds of A&E units in England. Inspectors blamed underfunding of council care services for pushing more elderly and frail people into hospitals, potentially causing overcrowding.
It said the number of beds in nursing homes was not increasing in line with demand and care home providers were pulling out of local authority contracts as funding did not cover the costs of care. The review claimed social care is "near tipping point" following inspections of more than 20,000 care homes, NHS trusts and GP surgeries.
Christine Morris, director of primary care and quality at Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs, said: "As commissioners of healthcare we work very closely with our GPs, community services, the social care teams at both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin local authorities, Shropshire Partners in Care and our hospitals on a daily basis to ensure that individuals receive the right care when they need it.
"This can be a challenge as sometimes there isn't enough capacity within the sector to meet the demand for their services, which can lead to delays in hospital discharges and emergency department attendances. When this does happen all partners do their best to ensure that individuals get the care they require as quickly and safely as possible."
Debbie Kadum, chief operating officer at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "Here in Shropshire, the rise is emergency admissions is caused by a combination of an above national average of over 75-years-of-age population, a large rural footprint and those increasing pressures in primary and adult care."
