Liverpool hospital trust could put staff in care homes to clear beds

Hundreds of patients are having to remain in hospital while they wait for a care home

Hospital staff in Liverpool could be loaned out to care homes to free up bed space, an NHS boss has suggested.

There are almost 400 patients within the Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust (LUHFT) that no longer meet the criteria for a hospital bed.

Chief executive James Sumner said at any one time there were 80 beds available in social care, but no staff to support them.

He said he would consider "trying to direct support" to relieve pressure.

Of those 400 patients across the Royal, Aintree and Broadgreen Hospitals, 45% - 180 people - were having to remain in hospital while they waited for a care home, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In a report to trust board members, Mr Sumner said the LUHFT had one of the lowest rates in the country of discharging patients who are medically fit, with only 5% being able to leave when ready.

Mr Sumner's report added: "We frequently have between 300-350 patients in our hospital who no longer need our care.

"This can have a detrimental impact on patients' health, especially for the elderly, who can become less mobile and in need of greater follow up care and support."

He added: "We are working closely with our local partners in adult and social care daily, to ensure these patients are cared for in the right place by the right teams.

"We recognise that these partners too face huge, long standing challenges, and we are all pulling together as best as possible with the resources available."

The pressures faced across Liverpool are replicated across Merseyside and Cheshire, the report added.

Analysis of capacity across the region said about 1,000 people remained in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge - "leading to assessment, treatment and ambulance handover and response delays".

The report said "intensive and focused work" was under way with "health and care partners, including those in local government, to urgently address this challenge".