Govt urged to build relationship between NHS and care homes
The relationship between hospitals and care homes must be built up, after revelations about COVID patients being discharged into the care sector revealed a lack of progress on the integration of health and social care, the Scottish Greens have said.
In Parliament, Scottish Greens health spokesperson Alison Johnstone raised concerns by care home body Scottish Care that there has been “a breakdown in relations” between hospitals and the care sector over discharges, even dating back to before pandemic.
Alison Johnstone said: “As pressure mounted over delayed discharge, it’s clear that care homes were already receiving people that they felt ill-equipped to care for safely, and this carried on during a global pandemic of a deadly disease. This is very serious indeed, especially when we are supposed to have an integrated system of health and social care working together.
“The relationship between hospitals and care homes must be an equal, cooperative one. When these two sectors become separate silos, there is a very human cost. This must form part of the inquiry.”