Milton Keynes City Council is working with Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) and local health partners to further improve people’s experience as they return home after a stay in hospital.
Milton Keynes has always had a strong reputation for safely and promptly discharging patients who are ready to go home, aided by the city council and heath partners setting up joint working practices to quickly arrange any home care needed.
Now, the city council is considering funding a trial of two new services which would provide immediate care and support for residents in their own homes as soon as they are medically fit to leave hospital.
A ‘live-in care’ service would provide short-term 24hr home based support for people suffering from delirium, to help people resume their daily activities.
Secondly, a ‘bridging care’ service would enable more patients to recover in their own home following a hospital stay. The service will last for up to seven days during which time the resident will receive home care and be provided with any specialist equipment required.
As well as enabling people to return home from hospital faster, these two new initiatives will also reduce how many people need to be readmitted to hospital, for instance following a fall or heath decline.
The city council will make a formal decision on 12 September to set aside £0.65m for an initial trial of both services between 1 November 2023 and 31 March 2024. If the new services prove successful in supporting residents, the contract will be extended for a further two years.
“Milton Keynes has been leading the way on tackling bed blocking but with the NHS under unprecedented pressure, the hospital and the council are coming together to offer cutting edge services. This will help patients to recover well at home, speed up hospital discharge and reduce avoidable readmissions. The council and Milton Keynes University Hospital are committed to working together to provide patients in MK the best possible recovery despite the significant challenges we all face.”