healthmedicinet

The
Telegraph disclosed
on Tuesday that the plans are being formally reviewed by NHS
England, the new body responsible for recommending how local doctors’ groups
should provide care for their patients.

It is hoped the hotels will ease the growing problem of “bed blocking”,
which costs the NHS £260 per day per bed, where patients who no-longer need
24-hour care put additional pressure on ward staff.

Around 30,000 elderly patients are kept in hospital needlessly every year
while they wait to be placed in nursing homes. Often they have suffered
falls or have dementia.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners Convention, questioned whether
elderly patients with dementia would be capable of feeding and looking after
themselves.

“One of our members is a woman in her 80s who is blind in one eye and has
dementia. She was sent home on her own with no care. Her neighbours often
find her wandering around in the street; this is exactly why we need proper
care.”

He said introducing a new model of patient care would simply sidestep the
issue.

“This is a diversion in a sense from what the real problem is. We have
really got to be looking at getting a proper social care system rather than
a facility add on.

“The bottom line is people want people to take them to the toilet and
feed them rather than flat screen TVs.”

The model is based on treatment in Scandinavia and was first proposed in 2010
by Innovation Unit, a public service reform think tank.

In Scandinavia, patients recovering from operations, cancer treatment, stroke
victims and new mothers are among those placed in the special hotels. A
minimal amount of medical equipment is on site and patients are transferred
back to the hospital if they need urgent treatment.

All three systems rely on family members playing a major role in the
day-to-day care of patients as well as patient self service and the reliance
on non-medical staff.

However, in Scandinavia a family member is allowed five days leave from work
if they need to care for a sick relative. It is unclear whether a similar
allowance would be made in the UK.

The Lund Patient Hotel was designed in 1988 by the Lund University Hospital
and hotel chain SAS. It was the first hospital hotel and is the largest of
its kind in Sweden with 160 rooms.

Maria Lipinska, head of the Lund Patient Hotel in Sweden, said it was run more
like a hotel than a hospital with en suite bathrooms, televisions and a
restaurant. Room service is also available.

“Medicines, injections – they have everything with them [the patients]. They
are given any drugs they need when they come to the hotel. If something
happens we have a special number which we can call and doctors and nurses
come very quickly,” she added.

For their report, Innovation Unit looked at the different systems in Norway,
Sweden and Denmark and found that savings of up to 60 per cent per patient
bed could be made if hospital hotels were adopted in the UK.

Sarah Gillinson, who compiled the report, said streamlining NHS care would not
only cut costs but would also improve patient care.

“It makes them feel comfortable, for family members as well as patients.
I think a lot of people do not realise how much they can do for themselves
until they are in that position,” she said.

University College Hospital in London has already established an accommodation
unit for family members and there are plans for patient hotels in Worcester
and the South West.

A hotel for patients with mental health problems is also being considered in
Nottinghamshire.