Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of delayed transfers in West Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

Action taken to address delayed transfers in West Sussex is a matter for the local health and social care community.

We understand that Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG are monitoring any delays on a daily basis, and working closely with colleagues in social care and community health teams. Coordinated actions between health and social care include dedicated meetings focusing on delayed transfers of care held each week; proactive management of patient flow via daily ward rounds; implementation of a daily “SITREP” and escalation process for patients who are significantly delayed; and ward sponsorship by local managers to support change.

Sussex Community NHS Trust is undertaking a detailed review of these issues, and has put an action plan in place to address them.

The CCGs are also working in partnership with West Sussex County Council to develop an integrated hospital discharge model, and have already established a Hospital Rapid Discharge Team at Princess Royal Hospital which is reducing the number of patients that go on to the wards by between 25% – 30%.

We are advised that these efforts have resulted in a steady reduction in average length of stay over recent months.