Acute medical beds at Grantham and District Hospital
Are you reducing the amount of medical beds in this proposal?
No. There will be no reduction in current bed numbers under this proposal.
Doesn’t this proposal mean the most frail and elderly will have to travel further for care. Why?
It is recognised that the proposed change would affect around 10% of those patients currently cared for in these beds, equivalent to one per day. These are seriously ill patients whose care needs cannot be met at Grantham and require more specialist intervention at another site.
It is also acknowledged that for family and friends visiting patients, there may be a need to travel further. We appreciate the challenges faced by those who are reliant on public transport and are working closely with Lincolnshire County Council to address the issue of transport infrastructure, for which they are responsible. Information is available for anyone needing public transport updates on the council website www.lincolnshire.gov.uk
How do community beds fit into the acute bed system?
Community beds play an important role in preventing hospital admission by providing a higher level of care for patients (known as step up care) and providing a lower level of care for patients discharged from an acute hospital who are not quite well enough to go home (known as step down care). We want to improve wrap-around patient care so that people can be cared for at home, or as close as possible, resulting in quicker recovery and greater independence.
How can a community provider safely provide acute services?
The proposal is not for a community provider to provide acute services – the proposal is to establish a partnership model.
Creating a multi-disciplinary, integrated service at Grantham will enable us to provide a centre of excellence which supports improved community based management of long term health conditions and shorter stays in hospital beds, particularly for the frail/elderly. As a multi-disciplinary team, the service will be led by specialist consultants and delivered by medical nurses and therapy teams.
