Dumfries and Galloway Council officials claim full return of mothballed hospitals “neither achievable or desirable”
Members of the social work services team are also against continuing to mothball the facilities in Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart, Moffat and Thornhil
by Stuart Gillespie, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/stuart-gillespie/ · Daily RecordCouncil officials claim returning four cottage hospitals to full use is “neither achievable or desirable”.
But they are also against continuing to mothball the facilities in Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart, Moffat and Thornhill.
Instead, they believe the sites should be a small part of “wider reform” in Dumfries and Galloway’s health and care service.
Councillors are set to discuss the local authority’s response to the latest stage of Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Right Care, Right Place consultation.
The social work department’s position is set out in a report for Thursday’s full council meeting – and adult care and homeless and housing options senior manager Rebecca Aldridge says none of the options presented can be fully supported.
On maintaining the current provision, or enhancing it slightly, she states: “The lack of beds within the community to support step up/ down or reablement is at crisis point.
“The use of care home beds offers part of a solution but there continues to be risks to care homes and so a different model independent of current options should be explored.”
Closing the sites also isn’t supported and neither is opening in-patient services and offering a mix of virtual and in person out-patient services.
The report says: “The data for inpatient services reflects the need for services in the community to move away from a medical model of care toward a model that enables people to receive reablement or short interventions that result in them returning home much sooner than they would if they had not received such a service.
“The option does not reflect the needs of the community, and it is recommended that in consultation that the local authority indicate that this option therefore could not be supported.”
Ms Aldridge is slightly more favourable to turning the sites into community health and social care hub. There would be no bed services but it would feature primary care and the GP practice, as well as more out-patient services.
The report acknowledges “whole system pressures”, including delayed discharge and social care needs, with all care homes run by the private sector as long as the majority of care at home services.
Ms Aldridge says: “To continue with a model that delivers services solely in this way increases a risk that we will not make the significant changes we need in order to meet people’s needs and improve outcomes.
“It is the view of the chief social work officer and his officers that re-opening as hospitals is neither achievable or desirable, and this response reflects the proposed position of the local authority on this, and all options provided with recommendations to consider alternative models.”
She suggests the sites could “offer local rehabilitation, respite, or targeted daycare” and adds: “A different approach would have a positive impact on enabling people to optimise functioning and independence with the desired outcome of returning home from hospital sooner than our current system can allow.”
She concludes: “It is the view of officers that more change is needed in other parts of our health and care system and this needs to be examined in the whole - the transformation of cottage hospitals would only be part of wider reform.
“The proposed response to the consultation seeks agreement for an alternative option that retains bed-based provision within communities but offers a range of services aimed to prevent admissions to a hospital setting alongside respite and reablement options.”
The public stage of the consultation closed on Friday.
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