It proves very difficult to straddle community-based care with
hospital care but clinically integrated systems lie at core of an improved
patient journey. An ageing population and the extra requirement for more
comprehensive, anticipatory discharge arrangements requires engagement
with families/carers. Often we lack conviction in asking families to take
on additional care needs that simply cannot be met by social care. Even
if there is an integrated service, we have to ensure that patient wishes
are integral rather than subsumed by trust wishes on performance.
Rapid Response:
Improving Patient Journeys
It proves very difficult to straddle community-based care with
hospital care but clinically integrated systems lie at core of an improved
patient journey. An ageing population and the extra requirement for more
comprehensive, anticipatory discharge arrangements requires engagement
with families/carers. Often we lack conviction in asking families to take
on additional care needs that simply cannot be met by social care. Even
if there is an integrated service, we have to ensure that patient wishes
are integral rather than subsumed by trust wishes on performance.
Competing interests: No competing interests