Listening to a consultant from the health system say that the social care system is broken and is causing the issues for the health service to safely discharge patients back home makes me feel very unhappy knowing how much we have tried in supporting people to be better, leave hospital and be safe at home. He also said that social care and health will not be fixed by money and that they need to interface more effectively. Tell us something we don’t know.
I really struggle listening to these “Experts” (with a capital E) about the problems that we face in delivering support and care in both systems. We can all say that there is a problem and that it needs fixing, but there is never any information from these Experts (with a capital E) on how it could be fixed. There is never any method being offered to understand why the system is failing to deliver on the expectations of those using it, and the expectations of frontline staff trying to survive in it.
I would really welcome an opinion from someone who has actually taken the time to look at what the system is currently doing, understanding the flow of the work and the barriers it faces, and the logic behind why the system is designed in the way it is today. Without this basic information, are we not in danger of continuing to invest in a failing system and promote a reform when all that is being done is designing another version of the same failing system?
I just get the feeling that the terrible pressures that NHS staff are under will not be fixed by a consultant telling them what they already know, or pointing a finger at social care saying that they should be providing community based care to get citizens out of hospital sooner, or even being comfortable seeing citizens discharged from hospital without any community based care or support.
Isn’t it time that someone actually went and had a good look at the system from end to end and from the point of view of the citizen?? I’d be happy to help.